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So if my 2yo likes 50-piece puzzles, what else will he like?


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I have tried Mighty Mind and he likes to fit the pieces in the tray, but he doesn't like them loose.  I tried c-rods, but he loses interest quickly.  He likes things that fit together.  He likes Legos, and we got him Lego Juniors (the tiny Legos with simpler structures) but I'd like to get him something different.  Any ideas?

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Here's a site with large pieced puzzles--

 

Toobeez

 

Geomags

 

These little blocks might be too small--

 

ziptrack is a race track you put together--maybe too hard for a twoyo, but yours sounds pretty extraordinary! (Discovery Toys sells it)

 

He might like a set of boxes to open and close.

How about snap blocks?

Or could he maybe be ready for one of those boxes that has latches and such on it?

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Lincoln logs! Any kind of free form building sets, from train tracks to plain blocks to bristle blocks to plastic gears... We also got some bigger play dough tools that require cranking and other manipulations for our very handy toddler :). Beading with chunky pieces... A plastic hammer, golf tees, and a big foam block for hammering practice.

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Some kids can play Rush Hour and some of the ThinkFun games at that age. Or you could do Castle Logix or Royal Rescue, which have big wooden pieces.

 

ETA: I misread the age as 4 for some reason... So maybe not on the ThinkFun games, but you could still maybe try Castle Logix.

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My youngest was like that as well.  He loved marble runs (he built unsupervised, but then got marbles while we were with him.)  He also like stacking pegs with foam pieces to build levels, large cardboard bricks.  Now at 3.5 he still LOVES puzzles, but also likes legos, jr knex, and lincoln logs. 

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Some kids can play Rush Hour and some of the ThinkFun games at that age. Or you could do Castle Logix or Royal Rescue, which have big wooden pieces.

Yep, I was just going to suggest the same thing. My kiddo loved puzzles an logic games at that age

One in particular a boy (or any kid like this( is Trucky3 by the same companies. It has little trucks that you have to figure out just how to make the 3-D pieces fit into the back. Actually quite challenging.

Mine loves Rush Hour (don't forget they have an app as well!)

 

Mazes, mazes, mazes. I put them in plastic sheet protectors and gave her a large dry erase marker. Hours of fun.

 

Marble runs. You might have to put the marbles away when not in use if you have a baby, but these are very similar to puzzles in some ways and are open ended.

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My "puzzlin' fool" also loved these non-chokable toys as a wee one...

 

wooden blocks (and you can see to this day how much that helped with math sense)

 

Haba Ball Track (using with wooden blocks makes for huge structures)

 

Wedgits

 

Superstructs

 

LEGO DUPLO (and they all liked these up till about 5-6, so worth the money even if they will overlap with LEGO use later)

 

ZOOB

 

Citiblocs (take more of a delicate touch)

 

Tangrams, but then he always preferred loose

 

I am sure I am forgetting something...

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He has MegaBloks and Lego Duplos. they get almost no use.  He likes the tiny Legos.  Wedgits....I have some of those somewhere!  We have pattern blocks and cards, but he likes things that fit together.  Lincoln Logs may be good, and I will check into some of the other suggestions. 

 

If they don't actually fit together, like puzzles and Legos, he will only play with them for a few minutes and discard them.  We have wooden blocks and all that, but again, he likes things that actually fit together, not stackable things.  He's doing puzzles my 4-5yo Sunday School kids cannot do.  I just want some different things to keep him both entertained and working his brain at the same time.

 

Thanks for the ideas, keep 'em comin'!

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Dado Cubes, Squares, and Planks may be a good fit. The littlest pieces could be swallowed, but you could cull them from the set as needed.

 

MagnaTiles. They're an expensive investment (but so are Lego) and builder kids seem to adore them.

 

For puzzles, consider something like the GeoPuzzles as well. The differently shaped pieces add a new challenge.

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At age 2, my DD LOVED map puzzles and the smaller legos, especially the 2x pieces-the 1x and flats were too small for her hands, but she was pretty good with the larger legos. The brick box sets were good fits at that time. I know you have a boy, but she also really liked Polly Pocket dolls with the little tiny clothes and accessories, and Littlest Pet Shop animals (ditto) at that age, and I think it had everything to do with little bitty parts that she could fit together. She liked making whole worlds. Actually, at 9, she still does!

 

I will say that my DD was a completely non-oral child who just plain didn't put things in her mouth, so choking wasn't an issue. Actually, we had the opposite problem-she had low oral tone, so feeding was an issue, and her OT would have LOVED it if we could have gotten her to use a pacifier, since it would have helped increase her oral strength!

 

 

 

 

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Oh, I forgot one thing that kept my puzzle-lover occupied for long periods.

I went to the hardware store, raided the house, and asked friends to help me put together a big box of different size nuts and bolts, various locks with keys, all sorts of bits and bobs that can be sized matched and put together. It was actually quite a puzzle as she had to dig through the box, find ones that looked like they would fit,!then try them. Great fine motor practice too:)

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