GeoToys GeoPuzzle, USA & Canada Shaped Jigsaw Puzzles, 69 Pc Geography Puzzle, Geography Game, Map Puzzle - Jigsaw Puzzles for Kids Ages 6-9 Years Old

As a homeschooler and a geography enthusiast, I purchased a set of both of the current lines of continent puzzles on the market--The GeoPuzzles from GeoToys and The Continent Puzzles by A Broader View.Although I give them all five stars, I certainly found distant advantages to both.First of all, the puzzle pieces of the GeoPuzzles are thicker which suggests to me a higher quality, but that is to be expected as the price is actually more than double. The GeoPuzzles also come in a box for quick storage.The Continent Puzzles from A Broader View have numerous advantages themselves. First of all, they give a quicker and more direct educational experience. This is because the frame of the puzzle actually is the oceans and/or bordering continents so that the puzzle solver can get right down to the business of learning the countries of the continent. The Continent Puzzles can also be conveniently stacked to save a lot of closet space in comparison with the overall size of the GeoPuzzles.Also, I noticed that the GeoPuzzles use a Mercator Projection. If you are not familiar with the term, the Mercator Projection is a particular way to lay out a map in which the longitudinal lines(north/south lines)are represented as parallel from the top to the bottom of the map, which basically means that the point at the top of the North Pole is the same length as the entire equator. This seriously distorts the size and shapes of all land masses. I know a lot of kids don't notice these things, but no reason to give them a distorted view of the world . The Continent PuPuzzles from A Broader View use a different projection for each continent that is relevant to its shape and position.Further, for each continent from the ABV puzzles, the entire continent is represented. I noticed that some of the GeoPuzzles do not include the entire continent;in fact, what would have been the North America puzzle was converted into USA and Canada puzzle, meaning Central America and the Caribbean are not represented at all. FYI, Central America and the Caribbean are part of North America.The ABV Continent Puzzles also do an excellent job of showing the boundaries of the continents, which I would say is critical to learning about the continents. The GeoPuzzles lack this effort. The Continent Puzzles also have representations of many famous landmarks.As I mentioned, I give both sets 5 stars, but it depends on what you are looking for. The GeoPuzzles have good entertainment value and The Continent Puzzles excel both in educational and price value.

I know from years of reading reviews here that most Amazon reviewers' kids are putting together 1,000 piece puzzles and speaking multiple languages by 18 months, but for what it's worth, my five year old fence-licker loves this puzzle. It doesn't take too long but it is very helpful in really learning where the different countries are.Like other reviewers, I wish the middle east had been included in this puzzle. Perhaps the puzzle maker could make a separate puzzle just for the Middle East and North African countries.(ETA: They do-- Geo Puzzle Africa and the Middle East) My son wondered why Iran was there, but not Iraq. He is very interested in those countries and I think this puzzle maker would sell a lot of those given all the US involvement over there-- kids here are curious about that part of the world!I thought the pieces were very sturdy and the puzzle was attractive and very 'clear'.Its true that the pieces don't "lock" together like a jigsaw puzzle, but they do fit together as the pieces are shaped like the countries, which is a feature of the puzzle as the box states. This may be frustrating for some kids, because if one accidentally lean on it while working on it, it can mess up the whole thing a little bit. The first few times my son did a puzzle like this where the pieces didn't obviously lock in to each other, he didn't like the way the pieces slid around. However he very quickly learned not to lean on the puzzle while working on it, to avoid shifting everything out of place. Again, he's five. A 2, 3, or 4 year old may be less understanding, but Amazon customers have exceptional children so I'm sure this won't be a problem for you!

These are thick cardboard pieces. They come in separate plastic bags and then there are 6 resealable bags so once you open the puzzle you have a reusable bag. My daughter is 5 and needs help with this puzzle because some of the shapes are quite difficult. We completed Europe and it is large— do this on a smooth, hard type of floor or a dining table. I wouldn’t recommend trying to do this puzzle on carpet. The colors are bright and vivid. Everything has excellent detail. I use a digital globe to help her understand where the puzzle is in relation to where we live and other countries. The box comes with poster paper guides/templates to help you put the puzzle together. They are double sided (so 3 sheets total). I wish the sheets were sturdier, so I am planing to laminate them, so I don’t have to worry about them tearing. I also wish the box was bigger. All the puzzles are packed in like puzzle pieces themselves, so once you pull them out it is hard to get it all to fit nicely back in the box. I might just purchase a plastic bin to store them and use the box to store something else ( like all her other geography stuff). Overall, I am very impressed with the quality and size. I am so glad I got it for her and it something she will be able to grow into over the next couple of years.