Best Puzzles for Kids

Modern ways of life place an emphasis on thinking and cognitive skills. The demand of the decade is young professionals capable of creative and logical thinking. Puzzles, of course, are a great way to develop critical thinking skills in children that can help them down the line. They also serve as a way for your child to turn online time into a fun and interesting play time!

Here is a list of the best puzzle options for kids.

3x3

The 3x3 is one of the easiest puzzles to solve once you get the hang of it. Younger kids learn better by engaging with their environment, and the rubik’s cube is one of the best ways to help them learn. Not only does it serve as a great puzzle, it enhances concentration, improves patience, agility and reflexes. The cube also serves as a great introduction to 3D geometrical shapes and can help build 3D reasoning. 

2x2

The 2x2 is a classic brain teaser, built around the principles of the original 3x3. It can serve as a great tool to introduce kids to the world of Rubik’s Cubes. The small size and colours fascinate children and create a natural affinity towards the cube. Because of the lesser number of pieces, the puzzle is relatively less complicated and easy to learn for children, and can be taught in the form of a story as well! 

Pyraminx 

The pyraminx is a puzzle in the shape of a regular tetrahedron. The pieces can only rotate only around the axis they are attached to, making the puzzle fairly easy to solve. It serves as a great introduction to the world of speedcubing and introduces children to different three dimensional shapes. Younger children may also find the Pyraminx 2x2 intriguing, which is just 3 corner pieces attached to the centre. 

Skewb

The skewb is a modified version of a pyraminx in the form of a cube. Though it may look complex to solve at first, it's one of the easiest puzzles for beginners. In fact, the world record is only 0.81 seconds! The different turning helps build dexterity and hand eye coordination and can be a great puzzle to take your cubing skills to the next level!

Snake Puzzles

Snake puzzles are some of the most versatile puzzles.  They are mechanical puzzles that can be bent in various ways at each “wedge” to form different shapes such as heart, ball, flowers, etc.  They come in varying lengths ranging from 24 wedges to 72 wedges. 

They help in improving creative thinking by enabling the user to come up with creative approaches in a limited setting. 

Figure Shape Mods

Figure or Animal shaped puzzles serve as cute and fun brain teasers that are very easy to solve. They come in different varieties such as dinosaur puzzle, calf puzzle, panda, etc. The main idea is to simply restore the puzzle back to the shape of the original animal. This makes the process of solving even more fun for children and adds a cute look to your puzzle collection too! 

Stacking Cups

Cup stacking can be done on your own or with a team. It involves stacking 12 cups in a vertical structure. The sport is generally played in cycles, with each cycle corresponding to a different structure. Making and breaking the structures, or completing a cycle in the fastest time is what makes this sport unique and interesting! 

About Author

Avani Sood

Avani Sood from Bengaluru has won 12 female national records overall and has been competing for the past 4 years. She started cubing when she was 11. Her main event is Megaminx. Apart from cubing, she loves to cook and read. She has participated in 10 competitions and won 1 podium.