Just Curious - When Was Your Child Able to Do a Jigsaw Puzzle?

My older daughter was just like yours - we had a few 24-piece puzzles and she wanted to do them, but just had a really hard time with that until she was probably 4 years old. She has always had trouble with that kind of stuff, and subjects like math have never come easily to her. She's always had to work hard to "get it" with any type if linear thinking/ spatial relations. On the other hand, she has always been good with language arts and reading and it seems to come naturally to her.

My younger daughter had mastered the 24-piece puzzle by the time she was 15 months old, and moved on to 100 piece puzzles by the time she was 2. I have no idea how or why, but her brain is just wired that way. She can pick up a piece in her hand, look at the picture, and she just knows where it fits. (Even when I look at it, I can't even figure it out! LOL) She has gone on to be pretty much a math genius and has always been fascinated by how things fit together (she is almost 6 and takes apart things like her CD player... sigh...) But - reading did not come naturally to her. So I am thinking this is very much a right-brain vs left brain thing.

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Don't worry that she is having trouble. The important thing is that you are sticking with it. I SOOOO wish my mom would have with me! I do not have good spacial sense, and if she would have worked with me over and over, it would have made a big difference for me. Ditto on working with legos. She said I never could figure out how to build anything, with or without the schematics, so I just threw them around.

I worked very hard with my sons to give them lots of opportunity to learn to build and put puzzles together, starting very early. My older son has his dad's natural ability. My younger son is okay at it, but always asked his older brother for help. My husband taught both of my children to play card games, including poker. I never played cards growing up, and have no head for strategy games of any sort. My kids are great at it.

Some studies show that girls' brains are not as good as boys' brains at working puzzles and building, and I don't know if the studies are valid or not. But I say that if our daughters have a stumbling block in a particular area, to help them as much as possible, as early as possible, so that it is no longer a stumbling block. Just keep on working with her, Mom. There's nothing but upside to it!

All my best,
D.

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From my experience with puzzles and children I can suggest that you help the child with advice as they are trying to do the puzzle. I taught my sons the difference between the edge and the inner pieces, I point out to the picture and the colors that go together or other clues like the end of the chain or the part of the eye, or some other clues (like would the feet be on the top or on the bottom?) that sort of begging to put them next to each other or in some particular place. That makes a child think and be observant and use the same skills when approaching a new puzzle project.

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Umm.... never?

At age 8 kiddo still has a lot of problems with 2d stuff. He was reading fluently by 3, started designing video games & doing algebra at 7 (3d spatial awareness, also has no problem with legos or instructions... and just soaks up maths), but he'll mess about with puzzle pieces for a few minutes and scatter them as a bad job. Same thing, will try random pieces... the difference between the edges and the pictures just irks him / shuts his mind off. Although (similar to legos) he has no problem with 3d puzzels... 2d puzzels and tangrams... foh-gedda-bow-dit.

My nephew, otoh, could do puzzels from the age of 2 no problem.

Both kids are adhd, btw.

Kids have different talents, natural abilities, and challenges.

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Lets see, my oldest is 23 and still won't complete a jigsaw puzzle. This is starting to be like the center of the Tootsie pop, I take over so I will never know.

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About 2 was when she started doing the 24 piece ones. I had to help her the first few times. Now, at 4, she can do the 48 and 100 piece puzzles by herself. All kids are different (as Im sure you know) and she will get it soon. Also, maybe she just wants help because she wants help, not because she actually NEEDS it. My daughter will ask me to help sometimes, just because :)

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My daughter started on the simple one piece Melissa and Doug puzzles before she was 2. She loved them. She was probably 2.5 when she stared doing the more complicated ones. There was plenty of time where she needed lots of help. Now at 4 she can even do normal puzzles, as long as they are about 100 pieces.

both of my girls were doing them by the age of 2. Maybe even a little earlier. My 2 yr old is obsessed with puzzles. She does the board ones and the 24 piece ones in the box. I'm sure all kids are different though.

I think it was age 3. I know at age 4 1/2 she could go a puzzle of the map of the US.

My son, from 3 years old, could do jigsaw puzzles. The kind that are for kids.
Ya know, the ones with big pieces.
Which the box says is for "3+" years old and that has 24-50 pieces.

My daughter was 4 before she could do it by herself. She got puzzles when she turned 3 and she could tell me where they go but had trouble matching up the notches. It does take practice so repition is needed to get it right. Now she is doing 50 piece puzzles without trouble.

So far I am two for two at age 31/2 with the easy ones and four for the tougher 50 plus piece ones!!

I will have to wait and see with my youngest... he can do the single shaped ones...Jigsaws are a whole different ball game.

My kids were both 4 before they could really do a puzzle without help...I have 2 friends whose sons could do them at age 2. All of our kids are really smart, so that doesn't mean a thing. Just depends on the kid, I guess! My kids enjoy puzzles but prefer to do other activities, whereas my friends' kids seem to live for puzzles. Everyone is different! :)

My duaghter is 3, and she cannot do a jigsaw without help, unless it's like 4 pieces.
My son was about 4 or 5, and still doesn't really like to do them.

My oldest didn't really like puzzles until recently, but her vision issues complicate things.
My second one loved puzzles and at 4 was working the 24 piece all by himself, but I'll say that he was the ONLY child in his preschool class to do so. He actually went on to doing harder puzzles.
My youngest wasn't much interested in puzzles and he was about 5 before he would work a 24 piece all by himself.

Two. She still needed help occasionally at that age but pretty much figured it out on her own and shunned my help most of the time. Now at almost four it is a rather insistent "I can do it, mom." Sigh.

My dauhter was 3 and my son was 2 1/2. Try a puzzle with 10-12 peices.

My son has been doing the 24-30 piece ones since he was 2. But before that, my daughter would help him. She has been doing "races" with us to complete those size puzzles since she was about a few months short of 3. My daughter is a few months short of 4 now and graduated to the 100 piece ones but sometimes her attention span isn't good enough for it....50 seems to suit her best. I should add though that we have an au pair who LOVES puzzles so the kids do them almost daily (we have a HUGE collection) and my hubby likes to do them too.

my kids are 4 and 5. Last weekend we got a little puzzle in a happy meal and to my surpise, they did it. I helped a little when they got stuck, but I was shocked that they even had an interest.

My daughter was freakishly good at puzzles, and could do a 16 piece jigsaw by herself at age 21 months. My son was doing 12 piece jigsaws by himself by age 4, and just did a 100 piece with his friend and myself (they are both 6yrs old) - we each did about equal work on it.

My son is 3 1/2 and he can have a difficult time with them. I wouldnt worry though. My DR gives us a checklist to complete before each well-check up and the checklist for 4 years old asks if they can do a puzzle that is 5-7 pieces. So if your DD is working on one that is 24 pieces that sounds pretty good to me!

She should get it soon! My youngest son loves puzzles. He is 37 months old. We have 1 48 picece puzzle he can do by himself, but it has jumbo sized peices and is 2'x3' and we have several 5-10 piece frame puzzles he can do. BUT like your daughter he got a few new ones for his birthday. One is really simple and 24 pieces and he can do it but the other 2 have a little more complicated pictures on them and I still have to help or one of his older sibs helps. I feel you pain. Maybe try one of the jumbo sized puzzles (ours is a melissa and doug fairy tale castle) I think because the pieces and picture is so big it is easier for him to tell where they go.