Vertical puzzles: what are their benefits?

Developing cognitive skills

Vertical puzzles come in a wide range of themes and topics, such as letters of the alphabet, shapes, numbers, pets, transport and colours. They increase a child’s visual-spatial awareness and develop a deeper understanding of these themes and topics. Every child learns differently, and vertical puzzles can be a great way to teach any subject. There are many options with puzzles.

Hand-eye coordination

Playing with puzzles requires a process of trial and error that involves a lot of hand and eye manipulation. For example, when someone places a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit, they will have to work out whether they need to swap it for another piece or turn it so that it fits. There is much more to a puzzle than meets the eye.

Social skills

Puzzles are a great educational tool for improving and promoting cooperative play. When they are in a group, children must work together to achieve their goal. They have to discuss where a piece should go, explain why, take turns, share the pieces with each other and handle the frustration of not finding the right combination the first time, and then, in the end, share the pleasure of seeing their work finished.

Boosting their problem-solving skills

Completing a puzzle, even the simplest one, sets a single, very specific goal until the person achieves it. Children have to think and develop strategies for how to achieve it. This process involves problem solving, reasoning and developing solutions that can later be transferred to other areas of their life. It can improve their patience and their memory (otherwise they would try the same piece in the same space over and over again), as well as giving them a sense of achievement when they finish.

Developing motor skills

Puzzles are a fun way for children to develop and refine their motor skills. When they play with puzzles, children have to pick up and grasp the pieces and move them, manoeuvring them into the slots, sorting them and fitting them into the right places.

Finally, completing a puzzle is an achievement for young people and children. When a child puts in the last piece, they can feel a sense of accomplishment. They set a goal, were patient, thoughtful and focused, and finally solved the problem.

They did it!

The feeling of wellbeing and pride is something we get every time we complete a puzzle. So go ahead, try one with your children today!