Geotoys GeoPuzzle, Africa and Middle East Shaped Jigsaw Puzzle, 65 Pc Geography Puzzle, Map Puzzle - Jigsaw Puzzles for Kids Ages 6-9 Years Old

I know from years of reading reviews here that most Amazon reviewers' kids are putting together 1,000 piece puzzles and speaking multiple languages by 18 months, but for what it's worth, my five year old fence-licker loves this puzzle. It doesn't take too long but it is very helpful in really learning where the different countries are.Like other reviewers, I wish the middle east had been included in this puzzle. Perhaps the puzzle maker could make a separate puzzle just for the Middle East and North African countries.(ETA: They do-- Geo Puzzle Africa and the Middle East) My son wondered why Iran was there, but not Iraq. He is very interested in those countries and I think this puzzle maker would sell a lot of those given all the US involvement over there-- kids here are curious about that part of the world!I thought the pieces were very sturdy and the puzzle was attractive and very 'clear'.Its true that the pieces don't "lock" together like a jigsaw puzzle, but they do fit together as the pieces are shaped like the countries, which is a feature of the puzzle as the box states. This may be frustrating for some kids, because if one accidentally lean on it while working on it, it can mess up the whole thing a little bit. The first few times my son did a puzzle like this where the pieces didn't obviously lock in to each other, he didn't like the way the pieces slid around. However he very quickly learned not to lean on the puzzle while working on it, to avoid shifting everything out of place. Again, he's five. A 2, 3, or 4 year old may be less understanding, but Amazon customers have exceptional children so I'm sure this won't be a problem for you!

Our autistic grandson loves this brand of puzzles. He has most of them now and can completely put it together by memory and focus. That is an amazing feat considering he memorizes all the shapes and colors. You cannot go wrong with this one.

These are thick cardboard pieces. They come in separate plastic bags and then there are 6 resealable bags so once you open the puzzle you have a reusable bag. My daughter is 5 and needs help with this puzzle because some of the shapes are quite difficult. We completed Europe and it is large— do this on a smooth, hard type of floor or a dining table. I wouldn’t recommend trying to do this puzzle on carpet. The colors are bright and vivid. Everything has excellent detail. I use a digital globe to help her understand where the puzzle is in relation to where we live and other countries. The box comes with poster paper guides/templates to help you put the puzzle together. They are double sided (so 3 sheets total). I wish the sheets were sturdier, so I am planing to laminate them, so I don’t have to worry about them tearing. I also wish the box was bigger. All the puzzles are packed in like puzzle pieces themselves, so once you pull them out it is hard to get it all to fit nicely back in the box. I might just purchase a plastic bin to store them and use the box to store something else ( like all her other geography stuff). Overall, I am very impressed with the quality and size. I am so glad I got it for her and it something she will be able to grow into over the next couple of years.

I bought these puzzles to supplement our geography studies. The concept of making puzzles in this manner stems from Montessori education. The difference is that in a Montessori classroom, all the hands-on stuff is higher quality materials, mostly wood.Of course, it gets pricey very fast to buy those well made Montessori items, so this is a more cost-effective option.I love that the pieces are of each country, The kids can learn the general shape of the country and see how it connects to its neighbors. Having each piece represent one country makes the geography a lot more clear.I took off one star because the pieces are sturdier than other, cheaper puzzles, but still do get dinged up. That affects the way the pieces fit together and the child's perception of the countries outlines. In Montessori education, this would be used with blank country outlines along with some research of the country. The wood pieces normally used would ensure that the pieces maintained their shape and if you are using this in a classroom setting, I would recommend splurging on the wood sets geared toward Montessori classrooms.I have purchased all the different continents and feel that it gives a great scope of the world. I do wish that the smaller country puzzles could fit together to make one huge world puzzle, but perhaps it isn't practical to do that.

Great class activity for Fun Friday.