It is worth thinking about the setting too. Games with a drawstring bag or a tin survive being thrown in a rucksack better than a large flat box. For a caravan or a beach hut with limited space, pick a few small games rather than one big one, so you can match the game to the mood without taking up a whole shelf.

Solo puzzle games are useful when you need to keep one child occupied without a second player. The Genius Square and Genius Star are self-contained, so a child can roll, place and solve on a tray table or a picnic blanket without anyone else joining in. Card games such as Flip 7, available from The Happy Puzzle Company, come into their own when the whole family wants a quick round at a campsite or in a holiday cottage.

From about six upwards, children can handle puzzles with a bit more thinking. The Genius Square and Genius Star ask them to roll dice and fit shapes into a grid, which keeps them busy without needing anyone to read a long rulebook. Games like these also work solo, which is useful for a quiet half-hour or a long car journey.

Stocking fillers are where the smaller puzzles shine. Self-contained games such as the Genius Square, along with pocket brain teasers, drop neatly into a stocking and give someone a challenge for the quiet bit of the morning. For children, a game matched to their age, from Bee Genius for the little ones to WordSnap XL for older siblings, tends to get more play than yet another plastic toy.

These games are a good pick if you want screen-free play that travels well and does not need a long rulebook. You can compare the full Genius line-up and read how each version plays at family board games.

The image matters as much as the count. Scenes with plenty of variety, such as busy street scenes or landscapes with lots of colour, give you clear areas to work on and tend to feel achievable. Puzzles that are all one colour, or that repeat a pattern, are far harder because you cannot rely on the picture, so save those for someone who likes a proper challenge.