For gift ideas sorted by age band, with the number of players and rough playing time listed for each, browse the games-by-age pages at jigsaw puzzles.
Playing time is worth checking before you start. Many escape games run for around an hour to ninety minutes, so it helps to set aside a clear evening rather than squeezing one in. Some are single-use, where you mark or fold the components as you go, while others can be reset and passed on to friends once you have finished, which is handy if you want to share the fun.
Piece count is the first thing to settle when you choose a jigsaw. Puzzles for young children usually have large pieces and a low count, so small hands can manage them, while 500 and 1,000-piece puzzles suit older children and adults who want a longer sit-down. If you are buying for someone new to jigsaws, it is better to start lower and work up than to hand over a 2,000-piece puzzle that never gets finished.
Snakes and Ladders is one of the first board games most children learn, and for good reason. The rules could not be simpler: roll the dice, move your counter, climb a ladder if you land at the foot of one and slide back down if you meet a snake. There is no reading and no strategy to master, so even three and four-year-olds can join in and stand a fair chance of winning.
Part of what makes it work is the head-to-head option. Two players each take a grid, roll the same starting positions, then race to finish first. A single round takes only a few minutes, which makes it easy to fit in before dinner or on a rainy afternoon. It suits ages six and up, and adults tend to get just as competitive as the children.
The 3D and giant multi-storey versions bring something new to the classic. Instead of a flat board, counters travel up and around a tall structure, with the snakes and ladders running between levels, which children find far more exciting to watch. Larger garden versions scale the whole thing up for outdoor play, so the game moves from the kitchen table to the lawn on a sunny day.
Playing time is worth checking before you start. Many escape games run for around an hour to ninety minutes, so it helps to set aside a clear evening rather than squeezing one in. Some are single-use, where you mark or fold the components as you go, while others can be reset and passed on to friends once you have finished, which is handy if you want to share the fun.
Piece count is the first thing to settle when you choose a jigsaw. Puzzles for young children usually have large pieces and a low count, so small hands can manage them, while 500 and 1,000-piece puzzles suit older children and adults who want a longer sit-down. If you are buying for someone new to jigsaws, it is better to start lower and work up than to hand over a 2,000-piece puzzle that never gets finished.
Snakes and Ladders is one of the first board games most children learn, and for good reason. The rules could not be simpler: roll the dice, move your counter, climb a ladder if you land at the foot of one and slide back down if you meet a snake. There is no reading and no strategy to master, so even three and four-year-olds can join in and stand a fair chance of winning.
Part of what makes it work is the head-to-head option. Two players each take a grid, roll the same starting positions, then race to finish first. A single round takes only a few minutes, which makes it easy to fit in before dinner or on a rainy afternoon. It suits ages six and up, and adults tend to get just as competitive as the children.
The 3D and giant multi-storey versions bring something new to the classic. Instead of a flat board, counters travel up and around a tall structure, with the snakes and ladders running between levels, which children find far more exciting to watch. Larger garden versions scale the whole thing up for outdoor play, so the game moves from the kitchen table to the lawn on a sunny day.