Free Printable Puzzles for Kids of All Ages

Published:
December 9, 2020

Contributor:
Jeannette Tuionetoa

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All of us buy some sort of puzzle for our children when they are little, and even as they grow. Explore these fun and free printable puzzles in your homeschool and learn about why puzzles are more than what we think they are.

Free Printable Puzzles for Kids of All Ages text with background image of puzzle pieces scattered

Puzzles with a Purpose

We know puzzles are beneficial. However, why and how are they beneficial is something we never really venture to find out.

I was curious myself and found some ways that puzzles really make an impact on our children as they grow. From knob puzzles to complex logic puzzles, each has a purpose to move your child along to new levels of knowledge.

Benefits of Using Puzzles in Your Homeschool

According to the article Puzzles: Set the Table for Learning, puzzles can take part in enhancing nearly all areas of childhood development. This includes their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. 

This article also makes suggestions as to which puzzles are appropriate for a child’s developmental abilities and needs. I found it very useful.

Why Puzzles are Beneficial

Puzzles Facts and Worksheets – Get a brief history of puzzles and learn about the different types and benefits. There is also a 24 page puzzle worksheet packet. 

Jigsaw puzzle facts for kids – Learn the history of the jigsaw puzzle and fun facts your kids will enjoy.

The truth about puzzles: How they boost kids’ brain development – How puzzles can boost your children’s developing brains.

5 Fun Facts: Puzzling Over Puzzles – Puzzle play is terrific for young children. Find out 5 fun facts about this important toy.

The Benefits of Puzzles in Early Childhood Development – The benefits of puzzles for young children and older children are amazing. Find out why in this article.

According to the article Puzzles: Set the Table for Learning, puzzles can take part in enhancing nearly all areas of childhood development. This includes their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional skills.

Puzzles and Development

Take a look at some of the ways that puzzles can help with developmental milestones. 

Cognitive skill development and puzzles

Putting together the pieces to form an image provides an experience for children to practice problem-solving skills. And without even knowing, your child is building the basic groundwork for mathematics by sorting, classifying, comparing, identifying sets, size, and spatial relations of objects.

Physical skill development and puzzles

Of course, physically as young ones, puzzles make the perfect tools to practice how to grasp objects and fit puzzle pieces together. Children improve hand-eye coordination and fine-motor dexterity (skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands).

Emotional skill development and puzzles

When children are challenged to complete a task like a puzzle, they understand the sense of accomplishment. They gain confidence in their abilities and are encouraged to persevere in little things. They learn about trusting themselves and develop independence.

Social skill development and puzzles

When given the opportunity to work on puzzles with family and friends, children learn to control their actions and learn problem-solving skills to work with or compete with others well.

As they see other strategies that work for problem-solving students are encouraged to try new options and think of some on their own. This helps them develop team-building skills and even leadership skills in a fun way. great way

Lots of free puzzles

Explore these fun and free puzzles to share with your students throughout your school year. There are many themes, and topics to choose from. Puzzles are perfect for a rainy day or as an educational activity. The can be done in pairs or groups, and they also make a perfect solo activity.

Themed Puzzles Boys and Girls Will Enjoy

There are printable puzzles with different difficulty levels that have themes girls will love, and ones that boys will love. Some of these both girls and boys will enjoy. There are even some cute animal puzzles.

 Printable Puzzle Book – This is a simple cartoon animal puzzle book that younger kids will love. 

Adorable Artwork Puzzle Games – These printables are perfect for little girls to enjoy.

Puzzle Games for Boys To Play – Lots of fun puzzles geared with boys in mind.

4-Piece Vehicle Puzzles – Great puzzle for learning about vehicles. Cut out the different vehicles, and match them back together.

Squirrel & Acorn Shape – Match the different shapes to the shapes on the squirrels to for a fun matching puzzle game. 

8 Printable Puzzles For Kids: Funny Monsters Jigsaw – These are super cute and funny monster jigsaw puzzles.

Animal Word Puzzles – Practice the spelling of the animal names by building the animals to reveal the spelling of the word. 

Farm Animals and their Babies – Match the mother and father animals to the baby in this adorable farm themed puzzle. 

Princess Sudoku  Printable – Fill in the sudoku grid with adorable princesses.

Forest Animals Sudoku Printables – Animal lovers will enjoy the cute forest animal them.

Shapes and Picture Puzzles

Practice shape recognition, studying and learning pictures and more with these printables.

Printable 3d Shape Puzzles – Practice shape recognition with these matching picture puzzles.

Magnetic Block Puzzles – If your kids enjoy playing with magnetic blocks or tiles they will love these puzzles that match them. 

DIY JigSaw Puzzles – There are patterns, stencils and templates to create and print your very own puzzles. 

Puzzle Piece Drawing Activity – Puzzle drawing activity that is perfect for children with Autism and special needs. 

Picture Puzzles for Kids – These picture puzzles will help your children follow directions as they color the puzzle to reveal the picture.

Printable Puzzles Inspired by Brown Bear, Brown Bear – Build the shapes to create the animals from this classic Eric Carle book.

Literacy and Language Arts Puzzles

Work on on early literacy and language arts skills with these new puzzles.

Color Word Puzzles Printable – Match the words to the pictures with the same color with these preschool puzzles.

 Magic E Phonics Puzzles – Work on the magic e and phonics sounds with these printable puzzles.

CCVC Puzzles – Practice some common sight words with these puzzles that have your children build the word that goes with the picture.

Puzzles with 3-Letter Consonant Clusters – 3 letter consonant words can be very tricky. Work on these words with the fun puzzle pieces.

Printable Puzzles for Digraphs – Practice the beginning and ending digraph sounds with these word and sound puzzles.

Math Puzzles 

Practice counting, number recognition and even math facts with these puzzles.

Measuring Angles Activity – Match the angle shapes to the degrees with thus fun math puzzle.

Multiplying Mixed Numbers Activity Puzzles – Practice multiplying mixed numbers with printable math puzzles.

Farm-Theme Preschool  Puzzles Number Order – Practice number order by building large farm puzzles in numerical order.

Penguin Number  Puzzles – Work on skip counting with cute little penguins.

Puzzles for An Expanded Form Activity – Work on changing numbers into expanded numbers with these math puzzles. 

Printable Number Match Puzzles Practice counting skills by matching the numbers to the pieces of candy.

Transportation Skip Counting Puzzles for Hands On Math – More skip counting practice and hands-on math fun with a transportation theme. 

Telling Time Puzzle Clock GameForest Animals Sudoku Printables 

Puzzles for older kids:

Tween and teens enjoy critical thinking puzzles and sudoku games. These are a great way to get their brains working hard, and will also help them to focus. 

Critical Thinking Puzzles – This free ebook will help your older kids to think critically by using logic math puzzles.

48 Puzzles Printables – There are printable Sudoku puzzles, word searches, word scrambles, mazes and more.

Puzzles for An Expanded Form Activity – Work on changing numbers into expanded numbers with these math puzzles. 

Number Puzzle Pintable – Connect the numbers by drawing paths and helping critical thinking skills. 

 System of Equations Logic Puzzles – These logic puzzles introduce linear equations and algebraic thinking. 

Holiday Puzzles:

Fun Thanksgiving Math & Logic Puzzles – All of these puzzles have a Thanksgiving theme. There are logic puzzles that need to be solved and even a themed Sudoku puzzle.

LEGO Christmas Puzzles – This is such a creative idea where the puzzle pieces get taped to Lego bricks so that you can mix and match the characters and play with the puzzle pieces. 

Gingerbread Symmetry Puzzles –  This symmetry printable for preschool is so cute to put a gingerbread man back together.

Holiday Trees Number Puzzles – Decorate the Christmas trees with this math puzzle.

DIY Christmas Tree Puzzles – Children will need to look closely at the different shapes and lines on the Christmas trees to match them up.

Seasons Puzzles:

Four Seasons Activity Puzzles – Practice recognizing the four seasons by painting and creating your very own seasons puzzle.

Winter SuDoKu for Math Puzzle Fun – This is a fun winter themed Sodoku math puzzle.

Hands-on Learning With Summer Themed Spelling Puzzles – These summer word puzzles will help your children with their spelling skills at the same time.

Spring Printable Puzzles for Kids – Pretty spring puzzles to color and then cut out and build. 

Fun Fall Puzzle – Build a pumpkin patch then answer the questions on the puzzler worksheet.

There are plenty of fun and free puzzles out there to keep your kids busy for a lifetime. I wanted to share those that my kids would have enjoyed the most or ones that I would have used the most when my kids were little.

Check out these other free puzzles and activities:

Printable Mazes for Kids of All Ages – Printable games are a great way to keep your kids busy and having fun while exercising their minds at the same time. 

Free Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles – Work on building logic skills with these puzzles and printable brain teasers.

Printable Crossword Puzzles – You’ll discover printable crosswords for all ages. There are math crosswords, Bible puzzles, history crossword puzzles, and more. 

Free Printable Word Search Puzzles – We broke down free printable word searches by topic. You’ll find seasonal-themed word searches, and word search printables for animals, Disney, Bible, Spanish, holidays, and more. 

In Conclusion

It’s clear that puzzles are helpful for may different reasons. Don’t be afraid to try adding some to your homeschool day, afterall, there are so many free ones available! 

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