Melissa & DougSafari Wooden Chunky Puzzle (8 pcs), Educational Screen Free Activity for Toddler, Preschoolers and Kids Ages 2+ - FSC CertifiedThe Forest Stewardship Council

Setup/First Impressions: No setup needed—just open the box and it’s ready to play. The puzzle pieces are a great size for little hands and the colors are bright and cheerful.Quality/Performance: The wood feels solid and durable, not flimsy at all. The chunky pieces are easy for my toddler to grab and put back, and they don’t chip or peel like some cheaper puzzles.Experience: My toddler loves naming the animals and using the pieces as little toys outside the puzzle board. It’s both fun and educational, helping with hand-eye coordination and learning animal names.Would I Buy Again? Absolutely. It’s sturdy, engaging, and has already become a favorite toy. I’d buy this again as a gift for other kids too.

5+ stars! What an amazing toy! I purchased this Doug and Melissa chunky puzzle for my grandson's second birthday, and it immediately became his favorite toy--so much so that he insists on taking some of the animals with him wherever he goes, whether it's to the supermarket with his Mommy, playing outside, or visiting relatives.At this age, he loves animals, so he was extremely excited to open the package and find all the safari animals he loves. Also, the colors were very bright and grabbed his attention. Additionally, each animal piece is very easy for a toddler to pick up and place back into its space, the matching pictures under each piece allow animal and color matching activities, and the pieces stand on their own, so the puzzle also serves as an imaginative toy that children can create their own scenes and stories with.This fun, intellectually stimulating puzzle is extremely sturdy, had no missing pieces, and is an incredible value. I have since also purchased the Doug and Melissa farm animal chunky puzzle for my grandson for Christmas, and intend on purchasing the sea animals and vehicles puzzles as well. Just buy it! I highly recommend it and the toddlers and young children in your life will thank you!

I have been searching for good puzzles for toddlers. I am a developmental specialist and work with infants and toddlers with special needs. I look for easy puzzles that have pieces that are easy for toddlers to pick up. I have always loved Melissa & Doug puzzles because they are always so well made and typically very age appropriate. I need puzzles that are sturdy and hold up well. I toss them in bags and in my trunk so they have to be able to take a good beating.When this puzzle arrived, I was beyond excited. Here are the things that I really like about this puzzle and using it for toddlers:- The puzzle has bright colors. This is great when using with young children to keep their attention.- When you take the puzzle piece out, it has the same picture underneath. This makes it easier for toddlers to figure out where the piece goes.- The pieces are thick chunky pieces so even though it doesn't have the little knobs on top, small, uncoordinated hands can get them in and out.- The entire puzzle piece is painted so that there is not any raw wood showing.- The animals are the colors of real animals. I have too many puzzles and kids' books that have animals all crazy colors. At this age, it's important that the animals are as realistic as possible. The animals on this puzzle are the colors that real ones would be (pig is pink, sheep is white, etc...).I have been using this a ton and the kids really seem to love it. I can use it to not only work on the fine motor skill of putting the puzzle piece in but also the cognitive skill of matching the animals, the language skill of learning animals sounds, names and colors. There is just so much I can do with this puzzle with really young children and ones with delays.

Awesome puzzles! Melissa and Doug items are great! Durable and vibrant colors.

My baby loved this. He got the hang of it immediately and always pulls it up to redo it. He identifies the animals (they don’t stick which is fine). The entire set is not too heavy for him to carry (he’s 2) and the quality is great. Thick board pieces that he throws everywhere before completing again lol. Seeing how he loves it, I say it’s worth it the price. Fun board game for your little one.

Our great nephew, 3, loved this puzzel. He knew what each dinosaur was and knew the colors.

Good for a 2 to 3 year old but once they have learnt to do it they lose interest

My grandson loved it