Puzzles are a great way to spend that quiet, still time between Christmas and the New Year.
It helps bring everyone together for memorable and quality family time, while building on family teamwork.
No matter the age of the parents or kids, puzzles are literally a connecting piece to enjoy around the holidays.
Here are some fun puzzles for the family to enjoy between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Holiday Family Puzzle tradition for kids of all ages
An easy way to make sure that the time is spent less on screens and more with hot cocoa and conversations is to put a puzzle in front of everyone. It’s a holiday tradition that any family can enjoy, even those with little kids and can be continued with teens and grown children.
Simply wrap up a puzzle that everyone opens up on the 26th and enjoy putting it together all day or throughout that down time before the New Year begins!
Puzzles for the family to enjoy this holiday season
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Sometimes it is hard to judge a good puzzle; you have to decide if it’s going to be one that’s challenging enough that it worth it, not so challenging it never gets finished, and simply one that will be enjoyable. Especially with younger kids around, it feels like there always has to be a happy medium in choosing a good puzzle for the family.
Related: Ten things to do when you’re stuck inside
Ceaco Puzzles by Jane Wooster Scott
Many of the scenes come in your option of size meaning that each age group in the family could actually work on the same puzzle but independently or in small groups and it could actually be a competition to see which team wins. So if you have a wide age range like kids ages 3-18, pick out a three hundred piece puzzle for the 3-8 year olds to team up on and the same design in a thousand pieces for the 9-18 years olds to work on.
The other thing to note about these puzzles is that they are very thoughtfully drawn. Most typically, there will be similar patterns or people in different parts of the puzzle that aren’t the same, but forces kids to have a discriminating eye. Like a woman wearing a yellow dress with brown polka dots versus a picnic blanket on the other side of the puzzle board that’s yellow with red dots.
Even the boxes typically are thoughtfully made with the picture on the back being high enough to fit above the box lid so it can be propped up without hiding the whole puzzle picture.
Find an assortment of these puzzles here:
More From Jane Wooster Scott
Family puzzles with multiple piece sizes
One of the best ways to incorporate puzzles into the family routine or to do as you cozy up during the holidays are multi-size puzzle piece puzzles. They’re most typically called “family puzzles” and come with pieces in three different sizes so that they can be divvied up by age and let every complete the same puzzle together on their own skill and development level.
A few examples of recommended family puzzles:
Wild Savanna by Springbok Puzzles
Disney Christmas family puzzle by Ceaco
Frosty Friend by Cobble Hill Puzzles
A few notes about family puzzles. Many times they come in four hundred piece sets, but this can vary. Sometimes companies like Cobble Hill call them “multi” puzzles and sometimes there are only 2 sizes instead of three.
Related: Indoor Winter Activities for Preschoolers
Get the family excited with a unique jigsaw puzzle
Especially as kids get older, finding a unique puzzle for the family is a way to get everyone more excited about completing it together. Choosing a glow in the dark puzzle and doing it under a blacklight or finding a really unique 3D puzzle based on what the kids are currently learning are just a few unique puzzle ideas.
Check out these cool puzzle options:
Unicorns by MasterPieces Glow in the Dark Hidden Images Puzzles.
St. Basil’s Cathedral by CubicFun
Disney Castle by Ravensburger
Wooden Mechanical Locomotive by Robotime 3D
Related: How puzzles boost kids’ brain development
Choose a puzzle based on your goals or dreams for the coming year
It can be big trip your family is taking visiting all the states, some place with a notable destination, or something else. In general there are so many types of puzzles, find one that fits with that theme! Not only will it be quality time spent together, but also something to get your family dreaming together.
You may also like one of these family activities:
Family Friendly Movies for Family Movie Night
10 Fun Walk Ideas for Families
Easy to Play Card Games for Family Game Night
Gratitude Conversation Starters
Are you looking for more kids activities?
Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.
I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.
