Puzzles for Kids

[maztec]

I hate jigsaw puzzles, and they are either stupidly simple or extremely complex. There really is no middle ground for them as a lap-puzzle in an office.

My office gets a few kids each week that need things to keep their hands busy.

They have already destroyed seven Perplexus mazes. Ugh.

I am hoping to get a small collection of cheaper puzzles for the kids to play with. Kids range in age from 2 to 16. Most of them are around 6 years old.

All recommendations appreciated!

And bonus if they are puzzles adults will enjoy as well (including myself).

Note, despite my dislike of jigsaw puzzles, I have been wanting to get a few good packing puzzles - so packing puzzles are legitimate suggestions.

[a-maze-ing]

If they destroy perplexus they can destroy other puzzles too, but anyway my kids like these cheap ones:
Cubigami7
Soma cube ( in a box )
Tangram
HappyCube (!)

And to cure yourself from disliking jigsaws, buy 'four-color map' from Artifact puzzles. Call it a 2D packing puzzle if you want. A 68-piece challenge!

[Lucie]

Children like the Hanayama Cast Puzzles, choose the easier ones, like the ABC, Bicycle etc.
Also mutiple challenge puzzle-games like Rush Hour.

[pcad]

Perhaps some of those plastic 3-D puzzles. Things like eggs, apples and hearts. Not impossible to break so maybe better for the slightly older kids. Certainly less expensive than plexus mazes.

[CzMeteo]

I think metal puzzles are your best choice, and wooden puzzles your second best.
It is very hard to break a metal puzzle, unless it is cheaply made. There is typically few parts, so less parts to lose. Those can range from simple to medium so great for kids. The only downside to a metal puzzle is they are pretty much the loudest puzzle on earth.

Wooden puzzles are great because there is an abundance of them. If you get a puzzle such as a packing puzzle, losing one piece basically ruins the puzzle. I know some websites have a category for coffee table puzzles that are made specifically for this situation. My favorite simple wooden puzzle that also worked best out of everything previously mentioned is a 3x3 wooden snake puzzles. They are medium to solve, have a nice feel, everyone loves them, especially adults.

So I highly recommend a wooden snake puzzle.

[Bidle]

I would also recommend Happy Cube. Different levels and not to expensive.