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Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

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How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old

November 30, 2023

Help kids unlock problem-solving abilities and other necessary early learning skills through play by introducing them to one of the many developmental puzzles available from Melissa & Doug!

Puzzle play can help promote a number of critical developmental skills: problem-solving ability, concentration, memory, pattern and color recognition, gross and fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination, making them a fantastic alternative to screen-based activities. 

That’s why Melissa & Doug has focused on puzzles from the very beginning, creating engaging learning fun with our first wooden puzzles, which expanded into floor puzzles, chunky puzzles, cube puzzles, and sound puzzles

With such a wide selection of puzzles to choose from, how do you pick the perfect puzzle to stimulate your 2-year-old’s developing brain and growing skills? Have no fear, Melissa & Doug is here! 

To help 2-year-olds with their mental and physical development, our puzzles leverage chunky pieces, so it’s easier for smaller hands to grasp and manipulate, because they also double as play figures for more imaginative play.

Many of our puzzles for 2-year-olds also feature sound effects, which are designed to help stimulate language development, a key skill kids need to work on at this age and stage. Let's take a closer look at a carefully curated selection of our top puzzles for 2-year-olds.

Melissa & Doug’s top puzzles for 2-year-olds

PUZZLES WITH CHUNKY PIECES

National Parks Alphabet & Animals Cube Puzzle – 24 Wooden Block Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

This 24-piece wooden block cube puzzle is a great introduction to three national parks—Everglades, Arches, and Yellowstone—and the animals that live in each! Use the sturdy wooden blocks to piece together a scene from each of the three parks. Blocks also have the full alphabet plus extras of some letters so kids can spell out the names of the animals shown on other sides of the blocks and on the included identification guides.


Wooden Magnetic Ice Cream Puzzle & Play Set - 16 Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

Piece together a deliciously cool puzzle and pretend play fun with this innovative, combination wooden puzzle-and-magnetic pretend play set! There are 16 wooden magnetic pieces, including ice cream scoops, toppings, cones, containers, spoons, and a scooper.


Construction Chunky Puzzle - 6 Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

Digging dirt, moving earth or just driving down the road, construction vehicles are captivating. This extra thick wooden puzzle includes six easy-grasp, chunky vehicle pieces. Each vehicle has a full-color, matching picture underneath and can stand upright for pretend play.


Dinosaurs Chunky Puzzle - 7 Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

This extra thick wooden puzzle includes seven easy-grasp, chunky dinosaur pieces with a full-color, matching picture underneath. The dino pieces stand upright for pretend play.

 

Safari Chunky Puzzle - 8 Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

 

African animal favorites are featured on this extra-thick wooden puzzle. Eight easy-grasp, chunky wild-animal pieces have a full-color matching pictures underneath. The animal pieces stand upright for pretend play.

 

Shapes Chunky Puzzle - 8 Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

Eight familiar shapes are featured in this extra-thick wooden puzzle with easy-grasp, chunky pieces. Each piece has a matching picture underneath and the shape name is printed on the puzzle board.


Farm Animals Chunky Puzzle - 8 Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

 

Have fun on the farm with this extra-thick wooden puzzle. It includes seven easy-grasp, chunky farm animals plus a chunky barn. Each piece has a full-color, matching picture underneath. The barn and animal pieces stand upright for pretend play. 

 

SOUND EFFECTS PUZZLES

The Wheels on the Bus Sound Puzzle

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

 

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round... and kids will play with this puzzle over and over! Lift the six pieces of the school bus to reveal different pictures underneath that show what's happening, and to hear the different verses of the classic children's song. Sing along as the wipers go, "swish, swish, swish," the horn goes, "beep, beep, beep," and more!

 

Farm Animals Sound Puzzle - 8 Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

Each happy farm animal "sounds off" in its own voice when its animal puzzle piece is placed correctly in this eight-piece wooden peg puzzle! Your child will enjoy hearing all eight sounds and looking at the full-color, matching pictures under the pieces, while developing matching and listening skills with this captivating multisensory puzzle.

 

Zoo Animals Sound Puzzle - 8 Pieces

Melissa & Doug How To Find The Best Puzzle For Your 2-Year-Old blog post

Listen to the voices of eight favorite zoo animals when the puzzle pieces are correctly placed in the puzzle board! Each animal piece has a matching full-color picture beneath. Eye- and ear-catching puzzle enhances matching and listening skills.

Follow the links below for more puzzled-themed content from Melissa & Doug!

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