I love playing with puzzles.  When we went on vacation to Avila Beach last year, my Mom bought me this really neat puzzle – Melissa & Doug Self-Correcting Letter Puzzles.  It was totally different than the normal puzzles that I do.  Instead of creating a picture, this puzzle required me to match the letters of the alphabet with pictures representing each letter.

Video of me singing the alphabet with the Melissa & Doug Self-Correcting Letter Puzzle

What is unique about this puzzle?

Each piece is made out of wood and each piece has a distinct shape to it, so that the pieces have only one match.  Because the pieces are made out of wood, they are very durable.

There are many different ways to play with this puzzle

Besides matching the pieces together, the box suggest several alternative ways to play.  Here are a few:

• Matching game – have someone select a piece, then ask your child to find the match.  Have the child trace the upper and lower case letters with their finger.
• Sorting activity – place one alphabet piece and all of the picture pieces in front of you.  Ask the child to find all the pictures that contain the chosen letter.
• Memory game – place several alphabet or picture pieces in front of the child.  Ask the child to memorize the pieces, then have them close their eyes.  While the eyes are closed, remove one piece, then ask the child which one is missing.  You can increase the number of pieces to memorize as their memory improves.
• Story time – lay all of the pieces face up and inspire creativity as you make up a story using the puzzle pieces.

Where can you buy the Melissa & Doug Self-Correcting Letter Puzzle?

Mom and Dad bought my puzzle at a small shop in Avila Beach, California while we were on vacation.  My parents’ favorite place to buy things is on Amazon.  Here’s the link to this puzzle.

If you want to help your kids learn numbers as well, I suggest you get the bundle that has both the alphabet and numbers.

Conclusion

I love playing with puzzles, and it is awesome when Mom and Dad mix it up and challenge me with a different type of puzzle.  This puzzle is fun to do because there are so many different ways to play with it.  I’m looking forward to teaching our new baby how to do puzzles!

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