At Melissa & Doug, we know the benefit of playing with puzzles for your child’s growth. Puzzles are a great way to improve a range of skills in early development: fine motor, pattern recognition, patience, problem solving, and more. There are limitless possibilities for kids to grow through playing with puzzles!
But how do you go about choosing the right puzzle to stimulate and engage your child? Here are some of our favorite enriching—and fun!—puzzles from Melissa & Doug for kids ages 3 and up.
Favorite puzzles from Melissa & Doug for 3- & 4-Year-Olds
Dinosaur Adventure Tracks Floor Puzzle – 48 Pieces + 2 Wind-Up Dinosaurs
Piece together playtime with this prehistoric-themed puzzle with built-in tracks for wind-up dinosaurs (no batteries required)! The 48-piece cardboard jigsaw floor puzzle features colorful friendly dinosaurs, waterfalls, caves, volcanoes, and more! Two wind-up dinosaurs fit into the twisting and turning track on the completed puzzle; wind them up and watch them zoom! When kids work on floor puzzles, they are fine-tuning their gross motor skills, improving their hand-eye coordination, and strengthening their problem-solving skills. This high-quality Melissa & Doug puzzle and storytelling game makes an exceptional gift for preschoolers and school-aged kids for hands-on, screen-free play.
Disney Princess Wooden Cube Puzzle
Piece together six different Disney Princess scenes with 16 solid wood blocks that store in a sturdy wooden tray for quick and easy cleanup! This Melissa & Doug wooden puzzle and wooden block building toy is sure to delight Disney fans three and older. Use the border designs as visual clues to piece together scenes with Moana, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Rapunzel. Or, use the pieces for block play -- stack, build, and knock down! Puzzle play is an engaging, hands-on way to encourage developmental skills, such as fine motor, problem-solving, sorting, stacking, and counting, and a great way to boost self-esteem!
Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle - Under the Sea - 24 Pieces
From sea star to jellyfish, this 24-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle is filled with colorful ocean life! Discover the wonders of the deep blue sea by assembling this fascinating underwater scene. This colorful kids' puzzle comes packaged in a sturdy wooden tray, providing a stable play surface and easy storage. Promotes hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
Ms. Rachel Wooden Phonics Alphabet Sound Puzzle - 24 Pieces
Kids will love hearing and learning to say the alphabet with their favorite educator, Ms. Rachel! The 26-piece Melissa & Doug® Ms. Rachel™ Wooden Phonics Alphabet Sound Puzzle includes favorites from Ms. Rachel’s popular baby and toddler videos. Lift the pieces to hear Ms. Rachel pronounce letter sounds and words that begin with each. An on/off switch allows for quiet play (2 AAA batteries required, not included; sounds are light-activated - for best results, use in bright, direct light).
Ms. Rachel Wooden Song Puzzle – 6 Pieces
Kids will love singing along with their favorite educator, Ms. Rachel! The six-piece Melissa & Doug® Ms. Rachel™ Wooden Song Puzzle includes favorites from Ms. Rachel’s popular baby and toddler videos. Lift to hear Come Play Out In the Sun, The Wheels on the Bus, I Love a Rainbow, Can You Say Mama, Hop Little Bunnies, and I’m So Happy. An on/off switch allows quiet play. (2 AAA batteries required, not included. Sounds are light-activated - for best results, use puzzle in bright, direct light.)
Sea Creatures Chunky Puzzle - 7 Pieces
Let imaginations dive into an underwater oasis filled with adorable sea creatures with this extra-thick wooden puzzle. The chunky puzzle features seven easy-to-grasp chunky sea creature pieces that can stand upright for pretend play. Pictures under pieces on the sturdy wooden puzzle board help with matching. Encourages hand-eye coordination, fine motor, and problem-solving skills.
Unicorn Chunky Puzzle – 6 Pieces
Easy-to-grasp extra-thick pieces in a vibrant rainbow of colors make this a perfect beginning puzzle for toddlers and preschoolers, ages two and older! It features five unicorns in different colors, patterns, and poses, and a rainbow piece, all of which stand for pretend play and fit on a sturdy wooden puzzle board, encouraging problem-solving skills. Matching pictures under the pieces help make this puzzle quick to solve and help reinforce color and pattern recognition. Chunky wooden unicorn pieces stand for pretend play and are easy for little hands to grasp and manipulate, encouraging fine-motor development and problem-solving skills.
This set brings the entire barn—pigs, cows, sheep and more! 16 blocks with a sturdy tray is a puzzle that promotes fine motor and manipulation skills with a whole lot of fun. Each block has a corresponding border for helpful hints!
Set includes four wooden, 12-piece vehicle jigsaw puzzles--a race car, a steam engine, a school bus and a fire engine--each stored in a separate compartment of a sturdy wooden box! The slide-on box lid doubles as a convenient puzzle board! Each puzzle piece is shape-coded on the back for easy sorting. Great for travel!
Outer Space Glow in the Dark Floor Puzzle
Piece together 48 sturdy jumbo cardboard jigsaw pieces for an experience that’s out of this world! Assemble the detailed and colorful space scene in a brightly lit room. When the three-foot by two-foot puzzle is complete, turn out the lights and watch as hidden pictures and details appear in glow-in-the-dark ink! (The puzzle must first be exposed to bright light to activate the glow-in-the-dark feature.)
Round the Shore Floor Puzzle & Play Set
Piece together playtime with this circular puzzle with built-in tracks for wind-up vehicles (no batteries required)! The 48-piece oceanside-themed cardboard jigsaw floor puzzle can be put together as three separate rings or as one complete circle. A groove in the inner ring lets the wind-up boat cruise past sea creatures and the numerals one through 10 to promote number recognition and counting. The outer ring has a track for the wind-up school bus to drive by the letters of the alphabet and pictures that start with each letter (in English). Sing along as the bus goes round and round!
Underwater Floor Puzzle - 48 Pieces
Fishing for a good time? We’ve got you hook, line, and sinker! This beautifully animated Underwater Floor puzzle is also 48 pieces and displays the rich ecosystem under the sea. For more imaginative and creative play, ask your kiddo to point out their favorite fish and sea creatures, give them names, and identify their colors.
Solar System Floor Puzzle - 48 Pieces
This “Melissa’s Pick” Solar System Floor puzzle comes with 48 pieces that come together to make an intergalactic masterpiece! Be sure to give enough “space” to your 3 year old so they can have room to put together this 2-feet by 3-feet creation. The extra-thick cardboard ensures this puzzle will last to infinity and beyond.
Race Around the World Tracks Floor Puzzle – 48 Pieces
Piece together playtime with this global racetrack puzzle with built-in tracks for wind-up vehicles (no batteries required)! The 48-piece cardboard jigsaw floor puzzle features landmarks from around the world, including Niagara Falls, Big Ben, Mt. Fuji, the Sydney Opera House, and more; a key on the storage box identifies them all! Two wind-up race cars fit into the twisting and turning track on the completed puzzle; wind them up and watch them zoom!
Kids can match these wooden puzzle pairs to make mastering letters as easy as A-B-C! A different object illustrates each letter of the alphabet shown in both upper and lower case, and the puzzles are self-correcting because each puzzle piece has only one match that fits. It's a great way for children to play independently and learn at the same time.
Classic Peg Puzzle Bundle (3 Puzzle Bundle)
A,B,C . . . 1, 2, 3 . . . what color do you see? Help your child prepare for school with these brightly colored See-Inside Alphabet Peg Puzzle, See-Inside Numbers Peg Puzzle, and Fish Colors Mix 'n Match Peg. Easy-grasp pegs and pictures under pieces make these three great matching activities ideal fun for learning letters, numbers, and colors and practicing fine motor skills.
National Parks Foundation Floor Puzzle - U.S.A. Park Map
Take an imaginative journey across the U.S.A. and learn about 63 national parks through puzzle play! Piece together the 45-piece jumbo cardboard jigsaw puzzle, featuring special animal-shaped pieces, search-and-find activities, and animal track identification along the border. Designed to make learning fun, states and points of interest are labeled, and a key inside includes an animal ID guide, park identification, and the search-and-find answers in English and Spanish!
Busy Barn Shaped Floor Puzzle - 32 Pieces
Who can build the big red barn? A classic tractor peeks from behind the barn door, and animals graze and gather in the barnyard in this three-feet-wide shaped floor puzzle. The 32 oversized pieces are great for children of all ages, from preschoolers just learning to tackle jigsaws to older kids who enjoy playing “I spy” games centered around the appealing crowd of lifelike animals.
Land of Dinosaurs Floor Puzzle - 48 Pieces
The jumbo Land of Dinosaurs Floor Puzzle features beautiful original artwork that depicts a dramatic scene from prehistoric times! Kids can learn about the different kinds of dinosaurs that once roamed the earth, as well as recognize some of their favorites including a giant T-rex, and flying pterodactyls.
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For more puzzle-themed content from Melissa & Doug, click the links below!
Shop ALL Melissa & Doug Puzzles
Visit Melissa & Doug’s Gift Finder Landing Page
Introducing Our New & Innovative Puzzles
Choosing Puzzles for Your Child
10 Best Problem-Solving Puzzles for Kids
3 Free Printable Puzzles for Kids
Explore Melissa & Doug Living Playfully Blog
Shop Melissa & Doug Ms Rachel Toys Collection
Shop Melissa & Doug Toys by Age
