Top 7 Montessori Puzzles for Boosting Problem-Solving and Perception Skills

Jigsaw puzzles have been around since the 18th century. Since then, many problem-solving enthusiasts have been enjoying them as their favorite pastime. At first, it started out as a fun afternoon hobby.

Later on, experts discovered numerous health benefits puzzles of jigsaw puzzles. For instance, they can help improve cognition or visual spacing reasoning.

On top of that, puzzles are excellent learning tools for children. There are all sorts of them. You can choose by number of pieces, images, themes, sizes, materials, and much more. 

However, the question that poses itself is:

Doing puzzles can improve short-term memory by strengthening connections between brain cells and can generally improve mental speed.

Montessori education is all about trial and error. If a piece doesn’t fit in the place your child intended for it, they’ll try a different approach to find a solution. This encourages children to become more courageous in their pursuits and not always wait for others to show them what to do.

Fitting and putting all pieces in the correct place means a task is complete. The more tasks a child completes, the better they become at doing so.

Not only do they become better, but they also grow accustomed to facing problems and solving them. That is how Maria Montessori believed children train to become independent and self-sufficient.

Grasping and handling differently-shaped puzzles can help children write, button a shirt, or type later on. It also helps build strength and precision in fingers. 

Hand-eye coordination means receiving information via our eyes and sending signals to our hands to perform an action. This is a skill we use almost every wake moment.

However, something like sports or driving a car puts a huge emphasis on this skill. Puzzles are great training for building a strong neural connection between hands and eyes.

Being perceptive of objects around us or the position of our body in a space is something we rely on all the time. Doing a puzzle forces our brains to create a bigger picture and envision spatial relations between different puzzle pieces.

Also, there is a study that associates a lack of spatial awareness with poor reading scores.

Solving puzzles is a fantastic opportunity for children to transition from parallel play to associative and cooperative play.

This is a stage in children’s development and social growth when they stop playing by themselves or next to other children and start playing with other kids sharing a common play goal.

We are all aware that our focus can sometimes drift. It happens to adults, and it happens to children, even more so with today's increase in screen time.

However, there are some tips for helping your child focus and concentrate. Taking time to solve a puzzle and focusing on the end goal is one way to do that.

This is an excellent starting puzzle for those little, still clumsy, hands. It’s great for practicing grasping skills, color recognition, and learning about animals and objects. There are 6 wooden puzzles in one packaging; you can’t go wrong with them as a starting point in your toddler’s puzzling journey.

When your toddler becomes a bit more dexterous, you can try these double-sided puzzles. You get 5 of them in one box, and each one has two different images. So, your child can practice completing 10 different puzzles. This one will probably remain fun and engaging for a long time.

This wooden puzzle offers more than just solving it. Your toddler will also learn about numbers and animals. Four of them come in a box, and each puzzle piece is marked by a number and a different color. Now we’re getting into some serious puzzling territory.

It might seem simple at first, but it’s much more complex. Unlike regular jigsaw puzzles, your child can use these 7 tangram pieces to create numerous different designs. They can replicate the ones shown on the cards or think of something completely new. This type of puzzle has been around for centuries. 

Similar to the previous one, this tangram puzzle offers so many options. It comes in a different casing and offers another option for tangram fans. However, the best idea is to combine it with our Sorting Puzzle for the ultimate tangram puzzle experience.

Now, you might wonder, “What’s Tetris doing here?” This is not a regular old Tetris. It’s actually an analog one. Your child needs to move every piece by hand to find the solution.

More than that, it comes with all sorts of game ideas for an entertaining afternoon. Finally, it’s a solving toy that brings the same benefits as any other puzzle but with a twist.

Our most challenging puzzle comes with whopping 180 pieces. This is when puzzling becomes more than just a hobby. The best thing about it is that it doesn’t have only one solution. It’s an open-ended toy that can be enjoyed for years. Even you might have a great time playing with it.