Ravensburger Rachel Ellen Boys 4 in a Box Puzzles
The Rachel Ellen Boys 4 in a Box Puzzles contains four wonderfully illustrated puzzles featuring designs by Rachel Ellen which include a pirate, a superhero and his super-dog, an astronaut with an alien friend and a super spotty and friendly looking dinosaur. The puzzles vary in complexity with the pirate starting at 12 pieces, the superhero 16, the astronaut 20 and the dinosaur 24.
Ravensburger Rachel Ellen Girls 4 in a Box Puzzles
The Rachel Ellen Girls 4 in a Box Puzzles are so pretty, like the boys set these are beautifully illustrated by British designer Rachel Ellen. Each puzzle features a very girly design which includes a 12 piece that shows a fairy perched atop a toadstool, a 16 piece that has a mermaid surrounded by her underwater friends, a 20 piece with a tutu-clad ballerina "EN pointe", and a 24 piece which shows a fairytale princess riding on her very own unicorn.
Our Verdict
The twins loved the fantastic designs as soon as they saw them, Zoey instantly grabbed the girls set with a squeal of delight and Zachary the boys one saying it was "cool" before they both set off to build them. I know some people are anti-gender toys and colours for children but personally I think it is something that happens naturally and I have indeed witnessed just this with my boy/girl twins.The twins have grown up surrounded by toys that are targeted at both genders and have never been influenced into playing with either 'girls' or 'boys' stuff, yet they have very definite ideas on what they like. Zoey loves everything pink and girly while Zachary loves dinosaurs, superheroes and all things space related like his big brother. It was no surprise then to see just how much they would like the Rachel Ellen illustrated puzzles, the fairytale designs of the girls puzzles and the amazing adventures of the boys instantly appealed to them. I couldn't help but think the illustrations would look fantastic hanging on their bedroom room, I may have to get some Rachel Ellen prints to put up.
The puzzles themselves are really great quality, made from strong cardboard which makes them durable and able to stand up to lots of preschooler play. They have a linen finish print to minimises the glare on the puzzle image which we found noticeable when compared to cheaper shinier cardboard puzzles that reflect a lot of light in a bright room.
I love the fact that the puzzles vary in complexity, starting with 12 pieces, moving up to 16, then 20 and finally 24. This makes them perfect for building up a child's confidence when it comes to puzzles. I have especially noticed this with Zoey who is not as good as Zachary at puzzles, she can independently do the 12 and 16 but sometimes needs a little help with the harder ones. She
These puzzle sets are also great for sorting skills, as there are four puzzles we always start by sorting them into the four piles per puzzles first. I used to have to do this for the twins but now Zachary can by himself, in fact the speed he does it impresses me.
