With a preschooler’s birthday on the horizon (such as the case in my home this month), you might be struggling to find the perfect gift. There are millions of toys on the market—but which ones will provide both educational benefits as well as enjoyment?

A puzzle is a great choice if that’s the sort of gift you’re after. Not only do they provide many educational (and other) benefits for children; they also provide hours of fun for both children and their families. Puzzles can be a solitary or group activity, which means they can provide valuable family bonding time—as well as some quiet individual time while Mom or Dad is trying to get a few things done.

Plus, by selecting a puzzle based on the child’s interests—from cats to cars, characters or even homemade puzzles with personal photos—you can also give a vey personalized gift that he or she will truly enjoy.

Below are some of the benefits of puzzles. While jigsaw puzzles are a great gift, many other varieties of puzzles—such as Rubik’s cubes, magic puzzle tricks, 3-D puzzles and others—are also available. Check with your local hobby shop, toy store, or online puzzle stores to find the perfect one you’re looking for.

• Puzzles help refine fine motor skills. Those small muscles are the last to fully develop, and both toddlers and preschoolers still need to practice using them often.
• Puzzles can help build eye-hand coordination. If you’ve ever seen a preschooler working on catching or throwing a ball, you know that this skill is also still in development. By selecting the right piece and finagling it into its spot, kids are actually working on coordinating their hands’ movements with their line of sight.
• Vocabulary development can also occur while playing with puzzles, particularly when a family member is present and the child is able to talk about what he or she is doing.
• Puzzles help memory development. As kids rule out pieces that don’t fit, they remember the size and shape of the puzzle piece in question when a spot that it will fit into becomes visible.
• Problem solving skills are also fostered through puzzle play. Children learn to use logic as they put the puzzles together.
• Puzzles help develop spatial perception. Many preschoolers still over or underestimate distance and space, and puzzles can help them make more sense of the area in their world.
• Matching ability can also be enhanced through puzzles, as can shape and size recognition.