2.5 year old can’t do puzzles

[Dahliasings91]

Title sums it up. 2.5 boy has some easy puzzles mainly 4 pieces. I’ve been trying to do these with him on and off for the last 6m and he’s not getting it at all. Is this normal? Not usually one to compare but these seem like really basic puzzles compared to what other children his age can do

My little one is almost 3 and she’s only just getting into puzzles. She is starting to look for pieces but I don’t think she could do a 4 piece one on her own, but I also haven’t been trying to teach her 😰

My 2.5 year old can do it but then again mine can't talk yet. They all develop at different times so try not to let it stress you out. (Easier said than done I know😅)

Mine is nearly 4 and I’ve never even had a puzzle in my house 🤷🏻‍♀️ I imagine he sometimes does them at nursery but I have no idea. He has been very good at building lego and magnet tile structures since the age of 3 so I think problem solving doesn’t have to mean jigsaw puzzles.

My ds 10 is an excellent reader. Fab with spellings. An absolute pro at sport..
Give him a jigsaw he can't even do the edge bits.
Don't give it another thought op.

Some kids like puzzles. Some don’t.
2 and half is rather young to be worrying that he can’t do jigsaw puzzles! Keep offering them and maybe he’ll have a go when he fancies.

At that age one of mine could read (yes really) but couldn’t do a four piece puzzle! I really wouldn’t worry about this OP 🙂

They don't all have the same interests and strengths. Both DS1 and DS3 were mad for puzzles at that age. DS2 has never been interested in them at all, can't seem to see the smaller part of the bigger picture and solves them purely by matching the shapes, even now he is nearly 7.

He's too young

Come back in a year

My daughter has dyspraxia - she could not do puzzles at all. However I cannot be sure if that’s specifically associated or it was just my eldest was a whizz at them which really highlighted it.

Mine was rubbish at puzzles as a toddler. I remember being bemused that she found the simple peg puzzles tricky at 2ish! And she still needed help with 12 piece puzzles at about 5. She’s 8 now and can do puzzles (though I think would struggle over about 50 pieces) but doesn’t choose to. No other issues so it’s not something I was ever particularly worried about.

Thanks everyone I was quite surprised to hear about a friends child who is a similar age doing bigger jigsaws. Made the mistake of googling and read online about kids the same age also doing 24 piece puzzles and was worrying if my child is behind!

Something to remember is that I think children start to "memorise" puzzles that a parent has done with them many times. So they aren't really doing them in a problem solving sense, but they remember what the picture they are aiming for looks like.

So, I don't think children "doing" jigsaws they have seen many times really are, in the same was a child seeing one with many fewer pieces for the first time...

I think I’m just a bit sensitive about things relating to my son’s development in general. He never crawled, was late to walk, we’ve tried to take him to toddler football he hated it. He’s got a scooter and a balance bike - doesn’t like either. Isn’t keen on slides at the park either. Maybe it’s a personality thing

My nephew was terrible at jigsaws! Just couldn’t ever work them out. He’s 13 now and doing well at school. Honestly don’t worry. Very normal!

They don’t tick every single developmental box. Can you do “all the things”? He might never like riding a scooter. Do you ride a scooter? You have to look at his development within the bounds of his personality.

But also… he’s 2 and a half. My son was riding pedals before he turned 3, but like your son hates any clubs like toddler football or the like. He’s turning 4 and has friends who can draw detailed pictures but he just scribbles. Some of those friends draw amazing pictures but have speech similar to my son had at age 2. They’re all different and you’re getting way ahead of yourself worrying about him at 2 and a half.

Just seen your update, maybe check if school are happy with his gross and fine motor development. He may just not like physical things. One of my DD’s friends only just learned to ride a bike at 8 simply because she just wasn’t interested before that. It’s different for all kids but speak to school if you are worried.

He’s 2 and a half

Thanks all - his gross development was logged as an issue at the 1 year and 2 year checks. By nature he’s a cautious child as well which is why I think he struggles with physical stuff.

Yes, I know the OP’s child is two and a half. I was giving an example of an older child who had just learned to ride a bike at 8 to demonstrate that some kids pick things up much later than others. I wasn’t suggesting that he should be riding a bike at 2 and a half!
Or if the two and a half was in relation to asking school about his fine and gross motor skills substitute ‘school’ for ‘nursery’.

Thank god I wasn’t on Mumsnet when DD was a tot.

Puzzles are just one of many ways to help encourage problem solving/concentration.

They are also a learned skill though - one that gets better with practice. So the comparison between a child of the same age, who can + can't do puzzles isn't one of intelligence, just that those parents placed more emphasis on puzzles and/or that child enjoyed them more, so practiced more.

Lego is also a great way of encouraging problem solving. Especially once they get old enough to follow instructions as well as just free/creative building.

There are loads of other examples of games/puzzles/sorting/challenges that young children can do. Just find the ones your child is into, and encourage them on those.

Yes it was because you said school I assumed you hadn’t read his age. Also he’s 2 and a half and OP shouldn’t be worrying about him not being interested in a bike yet. Of about 30 kids the same age my son was the only one proficient on a bike at 2 and a half. Maybe a quarter of the rest had any actual interest at that age in them to sit on one for longer than 10 minutes.

We know a lot of 2 and 3 year olds and I would say the majority are scooting on scooters. The bikes not so much. I think my issue is that a lot of the things that children around us are doing, he isn’t interested in or can’t do. At little kickers we had the same where in an entire class of kids his age he stood out like a sore thumb and struggled with any of the kicking / physical activities or to follow any instruction. Where his gross motor has been flagged in two checks it does worry me a bit.

The basic jigsaws I know require different skills as not as dependent on gross motor. He will be 3 in October so will see things may change by then.

I went on a child development course for work and was surprised when one milestone kids ‘should’ be doing by age 3 was pedalling a tricycle. Mine was 4 before she could work pedals and so was her friend who had always been early with physical
milestones.

I gave mine a balance bike for her second birthday but she didn’t get the hang of it until she was about 2 years 10 months when suddenly she was a whizz on it. Same with a scooter. She got one as a toddler and understood what she was meant to do but couldn’t really do it. I think she was 4 or 5 when scooting suddenly clicked.

Nice way to get a stealth brag in about your child 🙄
The bike example was AN EXAMPLE of an activity that some kids pick up later than others, my post did not suggest that the OP’s child SHOULD be interested in bikes!
Would you like me to give another example of an activity that some children pick up later than others so that you can finally understand my post?
Or would you like me to tell you about what my DD was the ONLY child doing at 2 and a half so we can turn this into a braggy thread about our children?