Peg puzzles
In these puzzles, each piece has a small handle attached – they are thought to be the easiest puzzle for a young child to use. The pieces tend not to slot into each other, but need correct placing to fit in an inlay of a board.
If your child has never played with a puzzle before, these are a great place to start. Try to find a peg puzzle with larger handles (the ones with small thin handles are harder to use as they require your child to use the end of their fingers and not their whole hand).
Chunky puzzles
These puzzles have no handles, feature pieces that are often thicker than the board they are in and, like peg puzzles, tend not to have pieces that interconnect. The pieces are designed to be picked up using a whole hand, making them easier for young children to handle while their fine motor skills are still developing.
Both puzzle types are great for understanding that by twisting and turning the piece, it will fit into the inlay of the board. If you don’t want to buy both types, we would recommend going straight for a chunky puzzle, as it will develop these all-important manipulation skills; however, the pegs do just make it slightly more accessible for younger children.
It is always worth checking out your local marketplace for second-hand puzzles, as there are often many available.