Large Wooden USA Map Capitals and States Puzzle Reviews

• Great Educational Toy!

  
  By A1BA3VR9EKXI87 on 2001-06-18
  I bought this for my son's 5th Birthday and he loves it! He wants to put it together every single day and is getting better and better at recognizing the states' names and their geographical locations. Next up...the capitals! I recommend this to all parents concerned that their children aren't learning US geography as they should. And I confess that this puzzle has certainly helped refresh my memory of the states and their capitals, too.
  
  

• Excellent puzzle

  
  By on 2000-11-16
  My five year old boys received this puzzle for their birthday. They have really enjoyed putting it together and have even learned several of the states. It's a great educational tool and is very well made. It is something they will use for a long time.
  
  

• Sparks interest in geography

  
  By on 2001-12-12
  I bought this for my daughter two years ago, when she turned 5-years-old. Within a week, she knew her states and capitols. What a great learning tool. She was the only student in her Kindergarten class who knew her capitols - not because we drilled her with them, but because she couldn't get enough of this puzzle! She is the oldest of my 3 children, and her siblings, ages 5 and 3, are both learning states, too. It is a good, solid, learning piece, that doesn't rely on a bunch of bells and whistles to keep kids interested. Best of all, it may be the only puzzle my kids have loved enough to make sure they never lose a piece!!! It's probably the best toy I've ever bought my children, and has withstood the test of time. I highly recommend it.
  
  

• USA Puzzle - only ok

  
  By on 2003-01-16
  This was just ok. I was disappointed that several states' shapes are not correctly represented and the New England States do not have separate pieces.
  
  

• A GREAT educational toy!

  
  By AEIIG0EIRHOWZ on 2003-07-31
  My 3 year old son spotted this puzzle while we went browsing in the store. He wanted it SO badly even though it was rated for older children. Within 3 days of playing with this puzzle, he quickly mastered all 50 states, knew exactly where they all go at a moment's notice. Then in a few days, he is able to clearly identify and pronounce each state accurately. He can read a little bit, and I had to show him North and South so he could place the Dakotas in their places. We had moved to Arizona from California a few months earlier, so he understood that his "small house" was in CA and that we now live in AZ. Two weeks after playing this puzzle, we went to California to visit our old friends and favorite places. Upon returning home, he demonstrated he really understood the map even more and even knows Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean and several cities. Because he has 2 other USA maps, he has said several times that "Michigan is a mistake! They forgot to cut out Upper Peninsula (Upper Michigann)"!!!! I was originally from Michigan and know that Michigan has 2 parts. What I'd like to see in this puzzle is 50 individual pieces, even though they may be small and that their cutouts reflect more accurate shapes (maybe make the states a bit bigger!). My parents still have the wooden puzzle from late 1960's with all 50 pieces. Now, where can I find wooden maps of other places: Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia, showing pictures of the countries, along with capital cities and other information? My son is already learning a few countries in Europe and is so eager and so ready to absorb more information in geography! We play the USA map puzzle practically every evening before he goes to bed! He's already map-literate far ahead of his peers and even amazed his summer camp teacher! Who says a 3 year old can't learn geography?! ;-)
  
  
• Not so deluxe
  By A1BKAHN6SUK9VB on 2006-05-01
  The only thing deluxe about this puzzle is the fact that it's made of heavy duty wood, so it's very durable. My son has had this puzzle since he was 3, and he is still enjoying it at age 5. He likes it very much and has learned a lot about states from using it. However, I think any states puzzle would be educational and fun. A person should rate the puzzle against other similar toys, and this one could use a lot of improvement.
  
  As other reviewers have mentioned, the shape of Michigan (and Maryland) is cut wrong, many New England states are bunched together into big clumps, all I'm assuming so that the puzzle is easier for little tykes. The capitals are only shown under the pieces. They chose to put the nicknames of the states on the front of the pieces instead, and only some of the states merited a picture of something associated with that state. Many have no picture at all, or in the case of Hawaii, the picture actually obscures the shape of the islands that make up that state. The bold black outlines of each state just make for ambiguous or even inaccurate borders and no way to see which borders are actually natural boundaries like rivers. I find myself wishing I still had my little cardboard puzzle from my childhood, which had more accurate rendering of all the political boundaries, each state cut out separately, and all capitals located on the front of each piece with its star in the right location. I'm looking forward to when my son will graduate to a big boy states puzzle.
  
  
• Sturdy, Fun
  By A3MW1C075RW72L on 2002-12-20
  I know it's meant for younger kids, but I bought it for my 10-year-old daughter when she just wasn't getting US geography in school. She had all the capitols down within a fortnight. I don't know why it's so much more fun for the kids to learn from a puzzle map than to read a map in a book, but hey, I'm not arguing with it. Now her younger brother (5) is playing with it & he's got a lot of the states learned by heart too. The thick, sturdy wooden pieces mean it'll last a good long time. Yup, mine are fanatics about never losing a piece too!
  
  
• Great Puzzle
  By A2UA3YB76MJ6J1 on 2001-11-15
  I agree with the other reviewers, but I just had to voice my one complaint. Alaska has the polar bear on the side of the state, so you can't tell what it is really supposed to look like. We live in Alaska, so my 4 year-old son is great about recognizing the state, but had trouble with this puzzle because of the polar bear. That said, I highly recommend this puzzle. My kids love it and it is a great learning tool!
  
  
• Great learning puzzle
  By ASUQYTKSFBCO2 on 2002-09-04
  My 5 year old son loves this puzzle. It is well made and the pieces are very sturdy. This is a great educational toy.
  
  
• Good learning puzzle
  By A4S0JF5Q753JP on 2005-10-17
  I ordered this U.S. puzzle to keep at my house to use when my five grandchildren come over. We work on a few of the states each time they come. It's nice because under each piece is the capitol of the state so it can be used to learn those or just the state locations. I have found it quite useful, and the kids look forward to our little "game".
  
  
• My daughter is already learning states at 3 years old!
  By A2NC7N0QIYMRE1 on 2002-01-25
  I bought this for my 3-year-old daughter, and she has already learned 3 states. You can show her any map of the US, and she can pick out our home state, Pennsylvania (where Sesame Park is) and Texas. I'm thrilled she knows that already! The way this is going, she'll know all of her states by the time she enters kindergarten.
  
  
• Kid-approved "sneaky education"
  By on 2004-04-06
  This puzzle is my 2 1/2 year old son's absolute favorite. He does it on his own, and is starting to know the state names. He will do it over and over and over again, and thinks it's great fun. I think it's a great way to help him learn! It's kind of nice when a learning tool has to be pried out of my child's hands....

  If I had one complaint, it would be that Alaska is on the bottom left corner of the puzzle; it would have been nice if they'd made the puzzle larger so they could stick Alaska in roughly the right place. Not a big deal, though.
  
  

• Incomplete puzzle with some duplicate pieces.
  By A3FIM02IV8BE35 on 2003-01-08
  Great disappointment! My 4-year old grandson who is
  very good at puzzles soon recognized that pieces were missing
  and others duplicated. What poor quality!
  
  
• A good start
  By on 2003-07-09
  I would have liked more information to be included on the puzzle. Each piece is cut out in the shape of the state and has the state capital printed underneath. I think they could have taken this a step further adding key information about that state such as it's nickname, state flower or other educational information. It is a good way to get very young children to learn their state capitals and the shape and geography of the U.S.
  
  
• USA Map Puzzle
  By A3VTDGQQJB4VME on 2005-08-13
  I purchased this puzzle for my 7 year old son. He loves it and plays with it daily. He says the state names as he puts them in their spot on the puzzle and he is also learning the state capitals now. There is so much else to learn from this puzzle as well. I would highly recommend this puzzle, I am very happy with it. It is wooden, so my son can play with it as long as he wants.
  
  
• Great Learning Tool
  By AQ6RVD0IL2Q03 on 2005-09-20
  Great way to learn the states and capitals. I wish they made a world map puzzle like this.
  
  
• A puzzle for both young and old!
  By AFECXN7U9QUHP on 2003-01-24
  Our 4-year-old loves puzzles, and we were looking for something fun and educational that would challenge her but intrigue her at the same time. This is what we were looking for! Not only will this puzzle last through our daughter, but it should last through her brother and any siblings who come along in the future. She loves the pictures on the pieces and is very proud when she gets done. As a homeschooling family, we are glad to find toys like this that are of good educational value but are also fun, durable, and classic. You can't go wrong with this puzzle!
  
  
• VERY nice states puzzle
  By A2A4M3EDEUKG3L on 2005-07-21
  I got this for free from someone else, and was pleasantly surprised. My 3 year old can almost do the puzzle on her own because the board outlines where each piece is to go. I tell her to start with the funny-shaped pieces.
  
  Most of the pieces are too small for babies who still mouth everything, and I'm afraid we'll lose some, but I am excited to teach my daughter geography (and brush up on my own at the same time).
  
  
• USA Wooden Puzzle
  By A20TN576N6VOW7 on 2006-09-18
  My 79 year old father has dementia and is in a nursing home. I bought this puzzle to help his memory and hand/eye co-ordination. He and my mother traveled alot and when we work with the puzzle, he can remember some of the places that they visited. He can recall many adventures and this helps keep his mind active. Many of the other residents also enjoy talking about their travels. Most of the pieces are large enough for them to handle and because they are made of wood, they don't bend or get lost. Thank you.
  
  
• USA Map Capitals and States Puzzle
  By AM3XOCIRVA20B on 2003-01-02
  Very sturdy & educational. Two thumbs up from Mom!
  
  
• GROW your kid early!
  By A37G6YK98GPCL on 2006-04-12
  I bought this for my nephew at 2 1/2 years of age. Do you know that he could say the state of Texas, and recognize the little pieces like New York, Vermont, etc. just because of this puzzle. It is very appealing to toddlers.
  
  
• U.S. Map Puzzle
  By A2DYI2UMD08OF8 on 2007-01-09
  I purchased this as a Christmas present for great-grandchildren in Japan. They will be moving to the U.S. next year, and I hope this will help them learn about their new country. Their father is a U.S.Navy officer, and mother is Japanese. This looked sturdy and easy for small children to handle.
  
  
• Great for both my kids
  By A2CAVBNKR92SCO on 2007-03-16
  We bought this for our 5 yr old daughter, and she's taken it apart a million times. She's learned all 50 states using this map puzzle. Her 2 yr old brother would sit on the floor and watch her. After about a month, he could put it together by himself. Since he's speech impaired, we've used the pictures on the pcs as a way to get him to say various things. He now identifying many items and his therapist is really happy that we've integrated this puzzle into his speech therapy!
  
  
• More fun than you might expect
  By A3GYXX1WIVXBBL on 2007-11-20
  I bought this puzzle a little over a year ago for my then 7 year old. What I did not expect was for my 2 year old to fall in love with it! He will sit and play with it by himself for a full 30 minutes, but he really loves it when mom or big brother 'help out' (he hands us pieces and then tells us where to put them). I always say the name of the state when I play with him and he can now identify several states by their shape. Great for tactile learners, highly educational, and fun to boot!
  
  
• 50 pieces for 50 states
  By A1QQSIK2MW0ZA2 on 2007-12-25
  When we ordered this puzzle map of the USA we had hoped that there would be a piece for each state. Alas, that is not the case as the New England states are clumped together, as are a couple of other regions. We will keep on looking for the perfect puzzle of the USA for our grandchildren. This is good but it just isn't complete. Children are going to think of New England as one clump. They won't know the difference between Conn. and Ver.
  
  

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