The Many Varieties Of Wooden Puzzle Game

By Eula Nichols


Many children's toys beep and talk and emit flashing lights, but sometimes old-fashioned toys which stimulate the brain without overloading the senses are best. A toy made of natural wood will not be full of toxic colorants. There are various wooden puzzle game designs available for children of differing ages. A description of several of the most popular kinds follows.

A timeless puzzle, which involves fitting jigsaw pieces together so that they recreate a specific image, can easily take up hours of time. Puzzles for young kids are not as involved. A design might feature a wooden slab out of which shapes have been cut. To solve the challenge, the right shape must simply be slotted into the right groove in the slab. This is good to give to a toddler, as it assists in improving hand-eye coordination and keeps the brain active.

In addition to two-dimensional puzzles, toy-makers have also created three-dimensional puzzles that are entertaining and attractive. A toy in the form of an animal or an abstract polyhedron, which consists of interlocking parts that have to be pieced together, will provide hours of teasing problem-solving. As these toys require more brain power, they are better gift choices for older children.

Natural wood is a good choice of material for toys as it lasts well and is also less damaging to the environment than the production of plastic. Many parents who are environmentally conscious prefer wooden toys for this reason.

While the simplest puzzles are suited to young children and toddlers who are not yet able to solve more complex tasks, older kids are able to enjoy more advanced toys. A game in which pieces have to be removed one by one from a tower of blocks, and stacked on top without the structure crashing down, provides an adrenalin rush. Games like this are good for improving patience as well as strategic focus. The suitability of these toys for group play is an added plus.

Some wooden puzzles borrow the format of classic games that have long provided entertainment for young people. The famous toy, 'Jacob's ladder', is one classic. This consists of a chain of blocks that are connected together by pieces of ribbon in such a way that turning one block over appears to make the next block in line tumble down the chain to the bottom of the row. The puzzling aspect of this is that the movement of the block is an optical illusion, created through the way the blocks are connected.

An additional game that may be constructed using wood is The Tower of Hanoi. The person attempting to solve the puzzle is required to rearrange eight discs that are piled on a single wooden pole, arranged in sequence of sizes, with the largest disc at the bottom and the smallest at the top. These discs have to be placed in the same order on a pole on the right, and there is another pole between the first and the third. The difficult part is that discs may only be moved one at a time, and a disc can be moved only if it is placed on top of a larger (and not a smaller) disc.

These are just some of the options to consider when looking for a natural wooden puzzle game that stimulates the mind and develops important skills and abilities. When buying a toy, remember to choose one that is age-appropriate for your child.




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