Melissa & Doug Wooden Underwater Jigsaw Spinning Gear Puzzle – 18 Pieces Wooden Puzzle for Toddlers and Preschoolers, for Boys and Girls Ages 3+

As a pediatric speech language pathologist and a mom of 2 littles, I have a great love for Melissa and Doug, especially the puzzles. I introduced this to my toddler around the age of 2 (24 months) and he required some help with it mostly due to the unique shapes of the pieces. This is definitely not a problem as the concept of the puzzle (having something to play with after the puzzle is together) keeps him motivated to keep trying. Pros + Quality and durability. The pieces are wooden and very durable, they have no bend to them, and the image part of the wood is affixed to the wood very well. No peeling images! + Pieces for together well + Unique shapes pieces makes for the next step of puzzles. See picture for sizes and shapes of pieces in comparison to my hand + The wooden border on the backing of the puzzle board is very nice + Vivid coloring + Variety of sea life- great for talking more in depth about sea animals. + The completed puzzle is also a toy in itself- twisting the gears is like a reward for completing the puzzle + Can be a great quiet time activity Cons - the gear pieces do attach easily but you sometimes have to twist some of the other gears to get them all to interlock. This is not a true con as it's the nature of gears. Age range I introduced this at 24 months and it required a lot of prompting to complete with a toddler who really enjoys basic jigsaw puzzles- I would say "next we need a piece with a ____" to help him locate the next pieces. When it comes to the gear pieces in the middle, they need to be inserted in a more logical fashion (put piece with hole that goes in part sticking up from puzzle back, spin the other gear pieces around so they interlock). These are not cons by any means and my toddler started completing this more independently after a handful of completions. So with that being said, I have introduced this puzzle in therapy sessions with kids ages 2.5-5 and it's been a hit. I am a big Melissa and Doug fan; this puzzle checked the boxes for the quality, creativity and durability that I expect from the brand. I paid less than $10 around a prime day deal, to me it was well worth the price. Additional activities: - We match sea animal figures that we have to the puzzles - to stretch the length of the activity, I sometimes put the pieces in a sensory box with rice, beans, or cotton balls for my child to find the pieces one by one - play a modified version of I spy while finding the pieces (I spy something that is big/tiny/pink/loud/jumpy) - try to draw/copy the animals that are in the puzzle

Our 2 year old loves this unique, underwater themed gear puzzle! The pieces have lasted with quite a bit of use and abuse. I also really like that the gear pieces spin together, when the puzzle is put together. This was a great Christmas Gift for our daughter 9 months ago and she still uses it!

easy, but not too easy that it is a once and done. The textures are nice for the little fingers and it moves too, Size is just right and the colors are bright and vivid. A fun puzzle for the little one.

I purchased this for my grandchild and not only does she love it, her parents love it too. She is two years old and not only loves doing the puzzle, but likes playing with the pieces and turning the gears. BRAVO on the design of this puzzle!

Such a cool idea. My daughter loves the gears. It is tricky to put together. She is almost 3. But still really neat.

We have always loved the chunky puzzles but as our children got older it was time to “advance” to a more difficult puzzle. This puzzle is perfect! It has just the right amount of pieces and the moving pieces add a little extra fun. The colors are nice and vibrant. The first time or two of doing the puzzle my toddler did get a little frustrated as he had difficulty with putting the moving pieces together but once he got the hang of it and understand it, he loved it. It’s a great puzzle for the price.

It was nice to have a puzzle that had something extra. My grandson enjoys playing with it and it holds his attention longer than just a puzzle. I do wish the price was lower so I could get him more. Have always loved Melissa & Doug since my son was little but as the price goes up the quality seems to go down.

My granddaughter loves the sea animals and moving parts of this puzzle! Happy with purchase!

We love this! Love. Love. Love. The guideline images are age appropriate. The puzzle is made of sturdy enough wood that it can be grasped by a 2 year old. The knobs and sockets fit easily together. And there's just enough difficulty in placing the gears in a working configuration to challenge a toddler --which keeps the task from getting boring. The under sea colors are visually stunning and pleasing. I'm really happy we found this!

If you can borrow , just do it. Kids intent to get bored after 1 week