My daughter loves playing with puzzles, she has done ever since she received her very first wooden lift out puzzle board. As her birthday is in November, I usually buy her some toys for Christmas which are suitable for a slightly older age so I don't have to buy different toys throughout the year. One of the things she received for Christmas when she was 13 months old was this puzzle from Early Learning Centre.

I purchased this puzzle online when ELC had a half price sale, it often features in the half price sale so if you are thinking of buying it I would definitely wait! It's also available in Mothercare too. It's normal price is £6 but obviously at half price it is only £3.

The puzzle comes inside a tough cardboard box that also acts as storage when the puzzle isn't in use as it has a carry handle. The box is quite hardwearing, we've had this for around 18 months now and the box still does its job, it is starting to look a little tatty but it's not too bad considering how old it is and with a toddler playing with it!

There are six puzzles inside this box. They are very basic, beginners puzzles with two pieces of jigsaw slotting together to make one whole puzzle. Each puzzle has a cartoon like farm animal on the front, each of these animals is easy to identify and my daughter tells me which animal is which and what noises they make.

The puzzles are made from quite a thick cardboard, definitely thicker than older childrens puzzles. They have a wipe over material on the top which features the picture. I always played with this puzzle with my daughter when she was younger as she had a tendency to put everything in her mouth and I suspect these puzzles would have been ruined had she got the pieces in her mouth.

Since my daughter received these at only 13 months old, she didn't really take much interest in these for a few months, she would sit and hand me the pieces so that I could put the different pieces together. At around 15/16 months she displayed an interest and tried fitting the pieces together herself, it took her a couple of weeks to master it, but once she started she couldn't be stopped and was playing with these puzzles daily for about a month! Now she's 32 months old, my daughter doesn't really play with these anymore. They do get dragged out of the cupboard every so often, but they are only played with for a few minutes as she masters the puzzles quickly. They are too basic and boring for her now.

I definitely think these are a perfect way of introducing children to puzzles. The fun, cartoon like animals add another educational dimension and children like learning how to do the puzzles themselves. Although Early Learning Centre have given these puzzles a recommend age of 18 months, I personally feel they should be introduced a little earlier otherwise they could lose their appeal.

I think these puzzles are great value for money at the full price of £6 so if you can find these for half price, snap them up, they are definitely worth it!