Janod Magnetic Vertical Puzzle - Firemen

By Alex Brands
Price $24.99
Age 1.5 yrs.+

This delightful toy is many things - vertical puzzle, game, stacking toy, and a source of inspiration for a great deal of pretend play. The artwork on the assembled puzzle displays elephant firefighters riding, front and back, on a colorful fire engine bearing hose and ladder. The varying images and shapes of the 9 magnetic wooden pieces imply logical relationships that let kids playfully problem-solve their way to reassembling the puzzle, developing dexterous motor skills in the process. The thick, block-like design of the pieces also allows them to be stacked and positioned in numerous ways, opening the door to all sorts of free-thinking exploration. Rather than just repeatedly reassembling the same puzzle, kids creatively try on a lot of things for size (an elephant balancing on its head in one of the wheel tracks, for instance), experimentation that brings its own distinct educational and play rewards.