If there’s one thing Toby loves, it’s a good puzzle.

From an early age he showed a noticeable aptitude for jigsaws. Indeed, he has always loved anything that involves building, although he prefers to follow his own plan rather than a fixed design. As I noted in my traditional birthday post earlier this week, give him a box of Lego and he will happily construct models with no instructions other than what his fertile imagination provides. And regular readers will already know how good he is at strategy board games.

One of the presents he was given at his birthday party was a game called Laser Maze. This involves solving challenges by arranging mirrored pieces on a grid to reflect a laser to a prescribed end point. It’s a fun test of problem-solving logic and spatial thinking.

Unsurprisingly, Toby loved it. It takes a lot to distract him from any present involving cars but he spent ages happily playing this instead. He sped through challenges at lightning pace with an ease that is born of natural problem-solving ability. He may not be able to tie his own shoelaces properly but ask him to tackle a puzzle that would have many adults tied up in knots and he’s completely at ease.

There’s a line in a song in The Sound of Music that asks ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria?’ They should have asked Toby. He’d have worked out the solution in no time at all.

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