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I came across the first puzzle game when somebody recommended it to me in the Czech Republic. I was playing with the idea of buying it there but then it occurred to me that the brand name was in English so I went on Amazon and checked it out. Wow! I couldn’t believe how many there were. Over the years we have gradually accumulated many of these puzzles and although they are for a single person I think it is more fun if you actually do it together with your child. They always come with a booklet of challenges, from beginners to complex puzzles.
Puzzle games for kids ages 5 and up
Rush Hour Jr.
 A game you should definitely own. When your child masters these puzzles, get the adult version. I have never seen a child who wouldn’t enjoy this puzzle. Both my kids love it. |
Hide and Seek Safari
 My daughter really enjoys this one but it is ridiculously expensive on Amazon right now (as their price change all the time, perhaps you will be lucky today) but I found a similar one: Hide and Seek Pirates (right below). |
Chocolate Fix
 My daughter enjoys figuring out the puzzles but she did not play it before she turned 7. |
ThinkFun Hoppers
 This is a cute little game that is small and can be taken anywhere. It was a bit difficult for my son to play on his own right after he turned six but with a little bit of help, he did the easier puzzles. I think a 7-year old could play it. |
Kanoodle
 My son has never played with it but my daughter got it when she was 6 I think and she fell in love with it. She still enjoys it. |
ThinkFun PathWords
 My daughter got this one when she was 7 and played it quite a lot but not anymore (she is 8 and 1/2). It’s not a game for every day but it is a nice change from the other games and prepares kids to play word games when their vocabulary grows larger. |
Colorku Game
 My daughter became a fan of Sudoku last year so we gave Colorku a try and love it. Instead of solving numerical puzzles you have to place colorful wooden balls in the right spots. They have a very nice feel to them so handling them during the game is almost like a therapy to me. My son just discovered the beauty of this game and fell in love with it. If it were numbers, he’d probably say he doesn’t want to do any math. |
IQ Twist
 My daughter thought it was fun. I don’t think my son would be interested in it because of the lack of pictures or something that would catch his interest. It is probably better for older kids, 7 or 8. |
Road Block
 This puzzle is pretty good although my son was maybe too young for it last year (he got it for his 6th birthday). He needed help with the puzzles and I think he will enjoy it more now when he is a bit older. |
Pajaggle
 I discovered this game at a board game store at the mall. It is not as easy as it looks but it is fun—a different type of activity, trying to fit the shapes into the right spot. I bought two sets so that they could compete but if you decide to purchase a different color, someone can be at a disadvantage because I think the orange is easier than the yellow, for example. |
I should mention the following two games although we don’t own them. However, I’ve read a lot of praise on them (two variations of the same game):
OR
There are several other puzzle games that are excellent but you have to rely on other people’s experience because we don’t have them yet (I actually bought the first one for this coming Christmas). Here are some of them:
Architecto Game
 This game is a part of a series so if you like all, you only need to purchase one of the sets and then you can buy just the booklets for the rest. The booklet for Equilibrio is $12 on Amazon right now for example. A reviewer nicely described the differences in the series:
The series differs in this way:
Tangramino Game This set builds the structures flat on the table like tangrams.
Architecto Game This set builds upright structures.
Equilibrio Game This set builds upright structures that have challenging balancing aspects to them.
Cliko Game This set gives images to build from a draftsman perspective. You are given multiple views of a structure to build. |
Sharing is good karma:
My son’s favorite.
