At about 2 1/2 years my son graduated from peg puzzles and simple jigsaws to the standard 24 piece table jigsaw puzzle. At not quite three he's almost, but not quite, ready to move on to puzzles with even more pieces. I think doing puzzles is a wonderful way for children to learn problem-solving and organizational skills, while improving their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. We really want to keep him interested in puzzles, but since I don't want to frustrate him by giving him harder puzzles before he's ready, I've been on the hunt for various 24 piece puzzles in different styles and themes in the hopes of keeping his enthusiasm up for this activity.

In addition to loving puzzles, my son is also a big fan of all sorts of vehicles. Over the last year or so, we've purchased several toys by Melissa & Doug / Lights Camera Interaction! and have come to have great confidence in the quality of their products. One of my son's earliest puzzles was their transportation peg puzzle, which we might just hold onto long enough to give to our grandchildren. Thus when I came across this puzzle on Amazon.com I knew it would be perfect for us.

The Puzzle

The Pieces
When put together, this puzzle measures 2 X 3 feet. Since it only has 24 pieces, that means each piece is several inches long. When I ordered this puzzle I really had no idea how big it was going to be. The box also claims that the pieces are 20% thicker than those of other floor puzzles, and that the pieces are "Easy-Clean."

The Picture
This puzzle shows a construction site with 5 trucks: cement mixer, bulldozer, front-end loader, dump truck, and excavator.

Difficulty
The jumbo pieces and the fact that it can be easily broken up into 5 parts makes this a relatively easy 24 piece puzzle.

Our Experience
I have never seen my son so excited about a puzzle before. The first several times he solved it we had to give him a few hints, like "Find all the pieces to the cement mixer first." But now he is solving it by himself with no trouble.

My son particularly likes the large size. His fine motor skills are excellent so he doesn't need big pieces, but he seems to be really impressed with how big it is. The large size also means that this puzzle and it's box takes up quite a lot of room, which my son doesn't mind, but I'm not too thrilled with. Finally, the box is just large enough for each of the 24 pieces to fit stacked in it one on top of the other, which means you do have to put the pieces in the box just right, which has been another valuable learning experience for my son.

Final Recommendation
This is a great puzzle for any child around age 3 who loves construction vehicles, so long as you have the room to store it.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 9.99
Type of Toy: Puzzle
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years