Favorite Brain Teaser Games and Toys for Kids

Alexandra F.:  Maze ball puzzles like the Perplexus are quite popular with both adults and kids, especially beginning around the age of 7. My 7-year-old has a large collection of maze balls for himself, and loves to give them as gifts for his friends.

Kelly R:  This has gotten many hours of play in my house! It's a marble run and brain teaser all in one, with 60 challenges of increasing difficulty. A step up in complexity from some of the other more basic logic puzzles, because kids have to think about what direction a marble will travel through the piece's unique shape to continue through the maze.

Jennie Utsinger:  Four kinds of animals are trying to get to cross the river, but they can only cross one at a time and in the correct sequence. The included booklet contains puzzle set-ups of varying difficulties and solutions at the back. The colorful animals are appealing for kids and the puzzle itself is engaging for all. Our entire family, from 5 to 75 years, loves this game.

Stephanie W.:  Mastermind is a great brainteaser game that will help your kids strengthen their deductive reasoning skills and have fun while they're at it! Try to guess your opponent's code of colors by putting together you own combinations- they'll tell you what you have right and you'll have 10 chances to break the code! The games are quick, which makes stopping points easy to find.

Carly Follett:  Rush Hour is a sliding block logic game. You have to battle the gridlock as you slide the blocking vehicles out of the way for the red car to exit. This is one of our favorite brain teasers for kids that keeps us entertained in car, too!

Gina I.:  With 60 levels of puzzles, Penguins On Ice provides a fun challenge for any age. Not only do you have to fit all the odd shaped pieces on the game board, but you also need to make sure the penguins are in the right spot!

Dawn Denning:  We love the traditional Rubix Cube at my house, but there have been improvements since I used it as a kid. Currently, my son is obsessed with his speed cube, and how much faster he can turn the colors to try and solve it. The cube glides faster, so it decreases the time to solve each of the sides.

Carly Follett:  Mental Blox Jr. adds a bit of complexity to block-stacking for toddlers. Geared for preschooler fun and advanced toddlers to challenge themselves, the goal is to work through a variety of given 3-D block combinations. Can you copy the varying formats?

Nancy L.:  200 fun, logical thinking puzzles will help kids with spatial reasoning and problem solving. It comes with an illustrated puzzle book and portable carrying case. There can be hundreds of ways to solve the puzzles, but only one correct answer exists.

Kelly R:  This is a great introduction to brain teasers for younger kids, and is fun and challenging for older ones, too. Use the blocks to build a bridge for the prince to reach the princess, solving 48 challenges of increasing complexity.

Vanessa M.:  Fair warning, this one is addicting for kids and grown-ups alike! Brainstring puts your knot-untangling skills to the test as the object of this brainteaser is to rearrange the rubber tips in order to untangle the knot inside. This is a long-lasting toy to bring on an airplane or on a road trip as all the pieces stay inside the game - no little pieces to lose!

Nancy L.:  Metal puzzles are a classic when it comes to brainteasers. They look so simple but they take a bit of thought and usually spark conversation when solved as a group. These disentanglement puzzle toys have no sharp edges and are small enough to take with you anywhere. These make great stocking stuffer ideas for kids, too!

Joseph Kelley:  A colorful spin on Sudoku! Play with one player or work together.

Kristy Pepping:  This is one of our favorite brain teasers for kids because it's a puzzle and a silent fidget toy in one. It's a single strand of six balls and the goal is to twist the object so only the blue shows on one side and the white on the other.

Lisa R:   My daughter instantly fell in love with the adorable bunny that is part of this set that builds spatial awareness and teaches simple directional words such as "next to", under/over, on top/under and so on. Kids choose one of the 60 cards in the deck and then work alongside parents to position the three colorful blocks and rabbit to match what they see. The cards are numbered and become more challenging as you go along.