Click Here To Browse The Full Range of Foam Floor Puzzles

Tummy Time and Play Area

Floor puzzle mats start off by giving your infant some tummy time on the floor with enough cushion to protect their little faces as well as being sturdy enough to protect them from suffocation and let them build their strength for crawling. As your gets older and starts to take interest in puzzles, the large interlocking pieces of the foam puzzle floor mat starts to become toys as well as a large, soft play area.

Educational

A foam alphabet floor puzzle helps teach your child their ABC’s while also teaching them to match shapes. Studies have proven that the earlier we teach our children how to distinguish shapes (letters and numbers included) the faster their cognitive skills will develop and retain. The same holds true for a foam numbers floor puzzle and is equally important for your child’s emerging development.

Durability

The neoprene foam of these floor puzzle mats are durable and easily cleaned with a little soapy water. If a spill occurs, wipe the area quickly before the liquid or food soaks in. Unlike more porous foam, the dense material of the floor foam puzzle doesn’t absorb liquids very quickly so if a mess does occur you’ll have a little extra time to clean it up before a stain results.

Safety

As with any toys, your younger children should be monitored when playing on a foam floor puzzle for many different reasons. Children up to the age of 3ish still like to put lots of different objects in their mouths and although the pieces of these puzzles are quite large, pieces can still be chewed off. Children learning to crawl should be monitored as they reach the edge of the floor mat, especially if laid on a hard surface.

Click Here To Browse The Full Range of Foam Floor Puzzles

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Jigsaw puzzle games are a different concept that involves more than just putting a picture back together. You’ll find many of these games on websites that offer online versions that can be a race against the clock or against other players. For those looking for free jigsaw puzzles, the online option is best and can be accessed anytime.

Floor Puzzles are great for young children and offer a challenging learning experience without raising the bar so high that the child loses interest. Floor puzzles are usually at least 3 feet long and have very large pieces.

When I was a kid, my favorites were Disney jigsaw puzzles. Sunday nights were Disney nights on TV and having various different Disney jigsaw puzzles let me be a part of it all week long. There are many different scenes and characters that Disney creates their puzzles after but my favorite was the map of the entire Disneyland site. Every last detail was on this puzzle from the monorail that travels the perimeter of the playground to the different food stands and characters that populate the site.

Wooden Puzzles offer a more durable choice for parents that want to get a little more life out of the puzzles they buy for their children. Melissa and Doug make a wide range of wooden puzzles and are known as the premier suppliers in the niche. Wooden puzzles can last for years if cared for appropriately and can be passed from child to child as they become bored with it.

3D Puzzles are non-conventional versions of their 2D counterparts and are usually not a picture or painting, but most times are in the form of geometrical shapes that need to be assembled by color or shape.

Sudoku puzzles take the number association game and put it into puzzle form. These are known as being some of the most challenging puzzles and definitely take some patience and a higher level of thought. If you thought the newspaper version of Sudoku was hard, wait to you try it out in a puzzle.

Brainteaser Puzzles include such classics as the Rubik’s Cube and Pyraminx. These are assembled on an axis that can be twisted, rotated and pushed. The object is to configure the puzzle by shapes and colors while keeping the original shape of the object, which could be a geometrical or other non-conforming shape.

This site offers many of the old fashioned jigsaw puzzles that you’ve grown up with as well as many of the more modern styles from lots of the top puzzle manufacturers. Read up on some of our many reviews before you buy your next jigsaw puzzle.

Click Here To Buy Melissa & Doug Solar System 48-Piece Floor Puzzle

Let’s Start Building Our Solar System

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid I was obsessed with the solar system and when I got my first puzzle that laid out all the planets I couldn’t put the thing down for months. Mind you, this was a good many years ago and the detail of that puzzle was nothing compared to what you get now with this Melissa and Doug Solar system puzzle. AND, it’s a floor puzzle so it’s got big pieces and takes up a good bit of space.

In The Box

48 pieces is somewhat standard for this size of floor puzzle, which measures approximately 24 inches by 36 inches. The colors and detail of the solar system in this puzzle is very high resolution and gloss. Each planet is labeled, which makes for a great educational toy for your 3 – 5 year old. The jigsaw puzzle is easily cleaned, as we know how sticky and gooey our little one’s hands can get.

Fun For Hours

Younger children may lose focus before the 48th piece can be put together; of course really is different from child to child. When my oldest son first started putting puzzles together (he was about 12 months) he would lose interest after the 5 piece or so . Now he can sit down and have the patience to put a 48 piece puzzle together, and quite quickly too. The main thing is for you as a parent to be encouraging and help with the puzzle only if your child asks for it. This is a great self esteem builder.

CLICK HERE to see what other parents have to say about this puzzle from Melissa and Doug.

Other Floor Puzzle related Posts:
Melissa & Doug Underwater 48-Piece Floor Puzzle
Melissa & Doug Giant Fire Truck Floor Puzzle
Foam Floor Puzzle

Click Here To Buy Melissa & Doug Underwater 48-Piece Floor Puzzle

At First Glance

A stunning gallery of tropical fish is the first thing that catches your eye in this underwater floor puzzle from Melissa and Doug. But what you might not initially notice are the several odd characters in the background of the puzzle: a killer whale, blue whale, manta ray, dolphins and a couple of sharks. Not your usual mix of company . Nonetheless, an excellent display of artistry.

Puzzle Stats

At 48 pieces and measuring in at 24 inches by 36 inches, this is a decent sized floor puzzle. The pieces are large enough for younger children to match up but still interesting enough for your older child to enjoy as well. The recommended ages are 3 – 5 years but a younger child could enjoy putting this underwater fish puzzle together with the right supervision (the younger ones tend to lose focus and rip the tabs off the puzzle ).

Educational

Puzzles are one of the best ways to build a child’s identification, matching and motor skills. It’s interesting to watch a child put together a puzzle. Mine starts with one fish at a time and then adds them together as he goes until the middle area is assembled. Working with your child to help them name the colors, different fish and mammal species and where they’re from helps your child form associations and learn about nature. Making the assembly of a puzzle into a game of speed is another fun thing to do for your child. Timing them each  time they put the puzzle together and challenging them to beat the clock builds their competitive skills.

Your Puzzle’s Afterlife

Once your child has become bored of assembling their underwater floor puzzle, or the pieces have become worn with use, you can take their little masterpiece and glue it to a cardboard or wooden backing and hang it on the wall of their bedroom. We did this for our son and he calls it his fish tank.

For more reviews from other parents of the Melissa and Doug underwater floor puzzle, CLICK HERE.

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Melissa & Doug Giant Fire Truck Floor Puzzle
Melissa & Doug Solar System 48 piece Floor Puzzle
Foam Floor Puzzle

What’s In The Box?

Melissa and Doug are well known for their creative, educational and well put together puzzles and toys and this puzzle is no exception. This fire truck floor puzzle is approximately 48 inches long by 18 inches wide and has 24 large pieces that will most definitely keep your toddler/preschooler entertained and keep his/her motor skills improving.

Who’s It Suitable For?

Although the recommended age is 3 years and up, my 2 year old had no problems and had a ton of fun putting this large piece fire truck puzzle together. He did break a couple of the tabs off as this seemed to be fun for him, so be cautioned . Easily repaired with some simple scotch tape.

Quality and Construction

Melissa and Doug have built this floor puzzle out of thick cardboard and as long as your child doesn’t decide to purposely tear the pieces apart (like my child did), the puzzle is quite durable and should last a long time. I have bought many other wooden puzzle that don’t seem to keep their shape any better than this cardboard one. The detail of the Fire Engine is very impressive, they even included a pilon for blocking off the street.

I’ve always been a big fan of puzzles and I’m really glad my toddler has such a huge interest in problem solving as well. Melissa and Doug jigsaw puzzles will give your kids (and maybe you as well) hours, if not years, of solid enjoyment and educational value.

If you want to get a confirmation on the quality of this puzzle or other Melissa and Doug products, Click Here To Read More Reviews.

More Floor Puzzle related posts:
Melissa & Doug Underwater 48-Piece Floor Puzzle
Melissa & Doug Solar System 48 piece Floor Puzzle
Foam Floor Puzzle