Puzzles

Jaques of London is one of the few remaining British games makers still producing wooden puzzles with a genuine heritage behind them, trading since 1795. The puzzles use solid wood and child-safe finishes rather than the foil-coated cardboard common in mass-market ranges. You can browse the full collection at jaqueslondon.co.uk/collections/puzzles.

Specialist toy and game makers are a better bet than supermarkets if you want wood rather than cardboard. Jaques of London sells direct online and the puzzles arrive well packaged with a proper storage solution, so pieces do not go wandering into the sofa. Independent toy shops sometimes stock the range too, so it is worth asking your local one.

Cardboard puzzles warp, the printed surface peels and the pieces soften with repeated handling. A wooden puzzle holds its shape, keeps its colour and can be handed from one child to the next without falling apart. For a gift you want to last more than one Christmas, wood is simply the more honest choice.

It depends entirely on the puzzle. Large, chunky wooden pieces with bold images suit children from around two years old, while more intricate cuts with finer detail work well from five or six upwards. Always check the stated age guide on each product; it accounts for both the complexity of the image and the size of the pieces relative to small fingers.

Keep wooden puzzles away from prolonged damp, which can cause pieces to swell slightly and fit less neatly. If a piece needs cleaning, a barely damp cloth and a quick dry is enough. Store pieces in the original box or a fabric bag rather than leaving them loose in a toy chest where edges can chip against harder toys.

Age range is the safest starting point, followed by subject matter. Animals, transport and nature themes have broad appeal and tend not to date the way character licences can. A wooden puzzle also presents well without any extra wrapping effort, which is useful when you want the gift to feel considered without being fussy about it.

One cardboard puzzle bought three times over five years costs more than one wooden puzzle bought once and kept. The honest answer is that wooden puzzles cost more upfront and genuinely deliver more in return: durability, better tactile feel and the ability to pass them on. If budget is a factor, a single well-chosen wooden puzzle beats a pile of cheap cardboard ones.