Editorial Review

Any kid who's a fan of Arthur, the clever 8-year old aardvarkfrom the popular PBS children's series of the same name, will find thissturdy 36-piece cardboard puzzle a fun diversion for any afternoon,rainy or not. The big pieces make it easy for little hands to manage.When put together, the colorful 16-by-16-inch puzzle depicts Arthur'sentire family, including his always annoying little sister D.W. andPal, Arthur's beloved dog. Comes in a handy little carrying box.--Marianne Painter ... Read more

Editorial Review

One of the first steps in learning to read words and solve mathproblems is being able to recognize and label symbols. While your babymay not be naming the entire alphabet or managing multiplication by thetime she's 1 year old, this interlocking set certainly offers a firmfoundation for future reading and math learning. Each 12-by-12-inchpuzzle piece contains an easy-to-grasp, pullout numeral or letter ofthe alphabet; there are 60 pieces in all. Parents may need to helpyoung toddlers with assembling the mat, since it requires more detailedpuzzle-fitting skills. But children as young as 1 year old might beable to fit the large letters and numbers into the slots by themselves.This also makes a comfortable tumbling mat or a nicely cushioned playarea. The set comes in a clear vinyl storage case with a zip closure.--Hannah Reynolds ... Read more

Features

• Good base for future reading skills
• 60-piece floor puzzle
• Toddlers may need some guidance from adults when assembling
• Comes with a clear vinyl storage case

Reviews (21)

Very soft and educational playmat
I got this for my children's room, a 3 year old boy and a 6 month old girl. We love sitting on it and playing since it makes a soft playmat on our hardwood floors as well as minimizing noise. It's very large so the family fits easily on it! My son loves to take all the letters out and put them back where they belong or jump between letters. He already knew all the letters when I got this mat but it has only emphasized his fascination with letters and added a new dimension to our word and letter play as well as other games. Cars and balls roll easily on it. The mat has numbers 0-9 which is good. The 6 month old has spit and drooled on it a bit and I have found it easy to clean under running water and wipe dry.

Nice concept but our son too young for this toy
I liked the idea of this toy. I wanted a soft mat for our son to play on and I liked the puzzle factor. It just hasn't been a toy our son is interested in. Maybe when he is older he will put the pieces together, but it seems too difficult for him at this age. He just tears it all apart, and so it is useless as a mat. I end up piecing it all together, which is time consuming, and then he destroys it. I've put it away for when he is older, and I'll try it again then.

abc mat
i bought this mat for my baby b/c we have hard wood floors and i wanted somewhere soft for her to play. It helped when she would try to sit up and fall over but that is about it. My daughter would take the end pieces off and chew on them then she moved on to pulling all the pieces apart. It was such a pain to keep putting it together and making sure she didn't have foam pieces in her mouth. This product now sits in a closet maybe i will use it again when she gets older for learning her abc's.

If you are looking for a soft place for your baby to play I don't recommed this product.

A long-lived favorite in our home
Our 3 yr old son received this mat as a gift over a year ago. His favorite things in the world are numbers and letters. He insisted we put it together the minute it was opened and he has played with it almost every day since then. He loves to pull the letters & numbers out and make numbers ("What's this number, mommy?") and words. He loves to play with them and I feel they've contributed to his early reading. I love the padding it gives his floor. It also replaced a small rug and acts as insulation (like a rug would). The only drawbacks (and they're minor to me) are the small pieces getting lost (we've only lost one permanently) and cleaning under the mat. Cleaning the top is easy - wipe with damp sponge and you're set. But dirt and hair (in our home that includes human or feline) stick to the underside easily. We can quickly sweep the top of the entire mat when all assembled. But we've had to pull it all apart, sweep the underside of each piece w/ a little dust broom, and reassemble. And that is a lot of work. Well worth the periodic effort in my book. Because this has to be his favorite toy.

Great for newborns too!
This mat is great! Before he was crawling, I felt safe knowing he wasn't getting carpet in his mouth because this provided a more sanitary play area. It didn't take him long (6 mo) before he was taking it apart to teeth on :-) We love it! It also wipes up easily when he spits up. Now he is 10 mo. and we are teaching him his ABC's. He just laughs at us. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

great travel toy
I bought my twin sons this puzzle/peg toy for their 2nd birthday. They have loved this toy from the start. It is very colorful and that initially attracted them to it. Then they enjoyed putting pegs in the different holes. At first it was random, now at almost 3 years old, they like to sort by colors (orange pegs in the orange piece)and see how high the pegs can stack. They also love to count the pegs in each piece. The entire toy is very durable and if you lose a piece, Lauri will replace the part for a nominal charge. I love all of Lauri's toys and we bought the peg board and additional pegs. The primer pak is also a fun kit to take on the road. We take these toys to church, restaurants, and they are a great distraction when I have to make phone calls. They are quiet toys and they require no batteries. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great fun! An educational toy your child will love!
This puzzle is very sturdy; not as bendy as most puzzles. My daughter loves putting this puzzle together. She is five and we are learning about the Solar System. I like this toy because after you put it together you can quiz your child on Solar system facts. Ask your child to point out which planet is the largest (Jupiter...although in this puzzle they make earth look larger because of the perspective)Ask him/her which planet is the smallest, which planet is closest to the sun...etc...etc...the learning never ends! There are always new solar system facts you can add into your fun! I strongly recommend this toy as a fun learning tool for you and your child. I really love all the Melissa and Doug products.

classic quality
My boys, 7 1/2 and 5, both enjoy this puzzle immensely. It is very well made and the sturdy pieces are easily put together....no bent edges here. When completed this high quality puzzle depicts a beautiful illustration of the solar system which has sparked their interest in learning about planets, stars, comets, etc....highly recommended!

OUT OF THIS WORLD
My 2 1/2 year old son received this puzzle as a gift. It's been a year now and he still loves it. It's a great family puzzle - and its large pieces are quite durable. Highly recommendable. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This boxed set of four puzzles deserves rave reviews. Each of the 6-by-8-inchdinosaur pictures is vivid, colorful, and well-detailed, making them a pleasure to behold.(For instance, the triceratops is shown standing in front of a gorgeous cascadingwaterfall.) But more significantly, this set is a pleasure to hold--each woodenpiece is smooth, well-sanded, and has a glossy, protective coating over the picture. Infact, Waldorf educators believe in offering young children these kinds of high-quality,beautiful toys made of natural materials because they are so satisfying to touch and workwith. Don't worry about getting the pieces to different puzzles mixed up. Each piece hasa coded symbol on the back, so children can easily sort and put them in the rightcompartment. --Hannah Reynolds ... Read more

Reviews (7)

if your child loves dinosaurs...
This is a great toy! My son loved dinosaurs and puzzles, so this was the perfect toy. He would do them again and again. He was only 3 years old when he received it for his birthday and only recently stopped playing with it(he is turning 6 next month).

Fun and Durable
These are just great. Four 12-piece puzzles made out of very durable materials (see Pros below). The sturdy wooden box has four compartments under a sliding lid. Each of the four puzzles are theme related. These four are Triceratpos, Stegasaurus, Pteranodon, and Allosaurus.

Pros:
Easy but not too-easy puzzles.
Pieces fit well together.
Nice pictures.
Sturdy container.
Each puzzle has a different shape printed on the back to make sorting the puzzles easier.
Super durable. I did not realize just how durable they were until I found a piece in my dishwasher. Even after being washed the picture was fine and the wood in perfect condition.

Cons:
It may take a few moments to figure out how to fit an entire puzzle's pieces in a single compartment.
Lid does not lock closed.

My kids love these and you will too.

Great for fine motor skills and busy young minds
The company gets kudos for stamping different symbols on the back of puzzles to help adults sort the four puzzles apart. This toy is fantastic and will likely be done over and over again with plenty of wonder each time. Only complaint is that pieces sometimes stick together and eager hands may apply too much pressure. We know they will eventually break, but the price is tremendous given the amount of attention the puzzles have commanded.

Great little puzzles
We have 3 different sets of these puzzle boxes and my 3 1/2 year old loves them ALL. He is very quick with puzzles and he likes to do all four in the box before he takes them apart. Since all the part are made of wood, these hold up well. We have never had a product from this company that we were not very pleased with. The little stamped shapes on the back make sorting out the different puzzles quick and easy.

Dinosaur puzzles turn into a game..
The sturdy wooden pieces of this puzzle are great for my 4 and 5 year olds. (It didn't damage the puzzle when pieces were put together wrong). The three of us sit together on the floor rotating each puzzle until completed.We talk about the dinosaurs and help each other put the puzzles together. This toy keeps us busy and it's fun to "play" puzzles. Believe it or not it's as fun to put away - each individual puzzle has a differnt shape on the back of each piece. You can turn the pieces over and collect all of the circles, diamonds, squares, and triangles then put them in their own spot in the wooden container The pictures of dinosaurs are great. Fun every time we play! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

beautiful but not durable
My son got this yesterday and instantly fell in love with the toy. He loves to open the locks, see what is inside the doors and just adores it. Also, my eight year old got a kick out of it and he is ADHD. It takes a bit more to keep him still. But, I was disapointed when the combination lock fell apart and the spring came out. My son was unable to open the lock after that and we had to fix it to stay open permenantly since I don't want to take it away and send it back for a replacement. My son is only two and half. He would be very mad at me.

perfect gift
I bought this has a Christmas gift for a 2 & 1/2yr old boy. He loved unlocking real doors, playing with keys & seeing how locks worked so I figured this would be the perfect gift. He normally has a pretty short attention span, and doesn't play with one thing for more then a few minutes. But, not this! After he opened this gift, he could care less about the others that still needed to be unwrapped. For the first 30 minutes, he wouldn't even look up from the puzzle. He played with it almost for a straight hour, and after that still kept going back to play with it for 15-20minutes at time. His older cousins (10 & 12) loved helping him with the more diffcult locks (the luggage lock was very tricky, since they locked the instructions underneath. The code ended up being a simple 1-2-3) The keys stay attached to the boards so you don't have to worry about losing them. This is a perfect gift for any little one that loves puzzles. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

HE'S LEARNING TO SPELL!
I recently purchased this puzzle for my toddler son. When I received it, I was disappointed with the small pieces and was going to send it back. I did, however, keep it because I thought the educational value may prove more important than the size of the puzzle.

Boy, was I right on that! My son truly enjoys putting together these mini-puzzles and on his own. He's only two, but loves his letters and shows interest in words. He's actually learning to spell! And I love the fact that the puzzle is self-correcting; he knows a word is spelt correctly if the puzzle is complete.

Toddlers who like puzzles will love this
My son started this puzzle at age 2 and really enjoyed putting every set of words together and would not stop until every one was complete. He has always enjoyed puzzles. I would put the letters in groups so that each pile would complete a word.
Now that he is a little over 2 1/2 I can just let him search the whole box for the letters and match them up himself. I highly recommend it because after each individual puzzle is complete you can have your child spell it to you to continue the learning!

Too many pieces
There are too many pieces to this puzzle..My son knows all his letters and can spell some words (he is 3) so I guess this was too advanced for him because the pieces were everywhere..I think this would be more beneficial if the letters were grouped in at least two to three per piece versus one puzzle piece per letter.

Visual & Tactile Learning
This set of 21 small puzzles (average size of each is about 4"x4") offer learning to spell in a unique and fun way. Made out of material similar to an adult jigsaw puzzle, each interlocking puzzle piece (size about 3x1.5) features a letter and a part of the object that the word spells. For instance, in the pig puzzle, the letter "P" also has the pig's head on it, the letter "I" has the pig's body, and the "G" has the pig's back end. The puzzle cannot be put together incorrectly, assuring that your child is learning the correct spelling and associating the word with the object. The 21 puzzles include 3 three letter words, 4 four letter words, 11 five letter words, and 3 six letter words. My two year old who knows his alphabet is enjoying playing with these puzzles (3 & 4 letter words) and beginning to learn the concept that letters make up words and how those letters are arranged determines what word is conveyed. The age recommendations on the box are 4-7, with a choking warning for those under three. Obviously each child is different but if you are beginning phonics and spelling lessons, and your child enjoys puzzles (and does not put them in the mouth!), this is a great tool. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great toy for developing different skills!
We first learned about this puzzle when our son's speech therapist brought it over one day. He loved it so much we had to rush out to buy it! He started playing with it at 18 months and is now almost three and still loves it. During this time, he has played with it in so many different ways. First, he enjoyed playing peekaboo with it. Then, he progressed to knocking on the door and asking if anyone was home. He also finds it hysterical when you put the pieces in the wrong places. It's been a great tool for us to encourage his language development, not to mention that it's lots of fun too.

Great toy!!
My 16-month old received this toy as a gift and he loves it! It keeps his attention, and he comes back to it every day. A few of the pieces are small, so we must watch him closely while he plays with it.

Fun
My son is 18 months old and he loves this toy. He puts the pieces on the fridge. He spents a lot of time with this toy.

My 12 month old loves this toy
Although the toy is listed as appropriate for 3-6y.o. I purchased this toy for my 12m.o. It quickly became a favorite and has helped teach concepts of open & close, learning new words, etc. I would caution that the pictures on the magnets behind the doors are paper. Because the toy is so loved pieces are often chewed on. This has messed up some of the pictures. Also because some of the magnets are small close supervision is needed. If you like this toy Lights, Camera, Interaction! has a similar toy called the "Latches Board" with different hooks and clasps.

My 20-month old LOVES this puzzle
She seems to enjoy it very much. It is one of the few things that keeps her attention for longer than a minute or two. I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Flimsy pieces
My 2 1/2 year old was interested for about 5 minutes.The pieces are flimsy and won't stay together.My 4 year old didn't even last 2 minutes with the puzzles."It's broken, Mommy" when the pieces wouldn't stay together. ... Read more