Play Type

Puzzler

Wants to know how it works.

Gift ideas for a Puzzler

· Quiz another kid

Remind me beforeor

What it looks like

Puzzlers take things apart, ask why ten times in a row and won't stop until they've figured it out. They go quiet when they're concentrating, and a hard problem is a gift to them.

Give them something hard and let them struggle a little.

Outside

  • A nature puzzle: which animal made these tracks?
  • Build and test paper airplanes to see which flies farthest
  • A backyard escape room with locks and clues

At home

  • Jigsaws that get harder each time
  • Take apart an old gadget with a screwdriver
  • A logic puzzle book

With friends

  • An escape-room kit at home
  • Mystery or riddle game night
  • A build-the-tallest-tower-from-paper challenge

Toys that fit

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More gift ideas for a Puzzler, by age

On a screen

Worth saying yes to. Ratings shown on each.

Captain Toad: Treasure TrackerESRB ESwitch · Nothing to buy insideSmall diorama puzzles you turn around to solve. A perfect first puzzle game.Find it on Amazon
Monument ValleyApp Store 4+iPhone, iPad, Mac · Sells things insideBeautiful impossible buildings. It's a paid app with no ads, and one optional expansion.
Baba Is YouESRB ESwitch, PC, Mac, phones · Nothing to buy insideYou change the rules of the level to solve it. Very hard, and very rewarding for older kids.Find it on Amazon

Watch out for

Free puzzle apps are mostly ad machines. Pay a few dollars for a finished game instead.

The other Play Types

Builder Explorer Competitor Storyteller Collector Performer

Made by a dad of three. Ideas and picks are chosen by hand, and nobody pays to be on this site. Game ratings come from the ESRB and the App Store, so check anything yourself before saying yes.Also from the same dad: Nightlight, tonight's dinner and bedtime in three taps, Halftime, for when the day gets away from you, Pipsqueaks, a card game for you and a little kid, and Sparkle Mic, where kids make songs and send them to family.