We are a family of jigsaw lovers. I always ask for a jigsaw for Christmas (along with Lego!) and always buy my boys Jigsaws for birthdays and Christmas. Most recently we have come across some beautiful wooden jigsaws, handmade by a family in Derbyshire – Just Jigsaws. I was lucky enough to visit their workshop – which is a wonderful experience to see the craftsmen and women at work making each jigsaw and cutting them by hand. It is not often that you get to see things like this these days.
We love large floor puzzles, where there is a lot to discover and talk about. Simple puzzles that the children love such as a Fire Engine or Tractor.
Peg puzzles for the littlest – who is also getting very good at putting pieces of jigsaw together – with a little help.
It is great to see the family working together and helping each other out…team work! Such happy faces when they complete a jigsaw puzzle – great satisfaction!
One of our favourites is this magical Wizard Jigsaw.
Another favourite is the Discovery Forest Jigsaw puzzle – I love that there is so much to look for and talk about.
The Rainforest and Polar Regions Puzzles are also great for learning about those subjects. I add lots of extras around the puzzle, a book, animals.
Nursery Rhymes and Classic stories have been popular recently. We love to tell the tales and sing the nursery rhymes. Discuss the characters and re-enact them out in small world play. We try to pair a lot of our play with books to further the learning opportunities and a chance to read of course.
The traditional double decker bus is a hit too – it always sparks conversations about the people on the bus, where they are going and of course singing the popular nursery rhyme The Wheels on the Bus. I paired this appealing jigsaw puzzle with our alphabet rhyme time book by Learn Well Education, wooden bus and some other accessories. Grandma and the littlest got straight to work singing and completing the jigsaw together.
Construction and diggers are a popular theme. I paired this puzzle with a small world crane, and some construction vehicles and diggers. The kids got straight to work together to piece the digger together and then play.
I couldn’t end without mentioning Peppa Pig! A much loved character in our house – even the older ones watch it and enjoy it…and me of course! Always something that the parents can relate to and laugh about.
Lottie Makes 