As we spend more time online and with virtual hobbies, it is easy to forget how enjoyable classic offline activities can be. When was the last time you tried to complete a jigsaw puzzle? If you are wondering how to put a puzzle together, this guide covers the benefits, the basic steps, and how to choose a puzzle that suits your skill level.

Puzzles first emerged around 1760, when mapmakers glued maps onto wood and cut them into small pieces, creating a successful educational activity. Their first major commercial boom came around 1930, during the Great Depression, when unemployed engineers, architects, and carpenters began producing and selling puzzles in their local neighbourhoods.

It was in 1932, however, that the first paperboard versions, that we know today, began to be manufactured and that made it possible to reduce production costs and, consequently, its price to the final consumer.

In recent years, the hobby became more niche outside dedicated puzzle enthusiasts, until the pandemic brought it back into everyday life for many households.

Board games and puzzles are on the list of items whose internet searches have increased exponentially since the lockdown began. Not surprising! At home, people returned to activities that support cognitive stimulation, conversation, and family interaction.

In this article, we will explore the benefits of jigsaw puzzles, share practical tips that can improve your solving skills, and help you choose puzzle themes that match your interests.

Benefits of Putting Puzzles Together

The first major benefit of this hobby is brain stimulation and the consequent development of cognitive skills. The exercise of putting together a puzzle can improve perception, reasoning, concentration, and memory.

Searching for pieces that fit together, and paying close attention to details such as colours and shapes, helps strengthen concentration and memory, which is one reason this hobby can also be enjoyable and beneficial for older adults.

Puzzles also stimulate the development of motor coordination, due to the use of small pieces, which is ideal for children at different stages of their development. The exercise of trying to fit the pieces stimulates control of the movements of the hands, arms and even the eyes.

Puzzles are also excellent family activities because they encourage conversation, teamwork, and shared problem-solving. When playing together, it is possible to practice collaboration, healthy competition and the ability to debate. These are important socio-emotional skills that can be useful in both personal and professional life.

Tips for Putting Together a Puzzle

1. Find a suitable spot

It is important to find a flat surface with enough space to spread the pieces and assemble a puzzle without having to move everything around halfway through.

2. Keep the box close

Even if you organize all your pieces and you no longer need the puzzle box to store them, do not lose it! The box always displays the reference image, which makes assembling puzzles much easier when you need to check colours, patterns, and small details.

 If you do not intend to disassemble your puzzle at the end of the assembly and believe that you will no longer need the box, our tip is to cut out its face that contains the reference image, so you will take up less space and can hold and check it more easily.

3. Sort your parts

The more pieces your puzzle has, the more important this step is. Grouping pieces by shape, colour, edge, and pattern is one of the best ways to put a puzzle together because it helps you find specific pieces faster during the assembly.

4. Start from the edges

The pieces at the edge of the puzzle are the easiest to identify, as they contain a straight side. When sorting your pieces, edge pieces should be one of the first groups you separate.

 After selecting all of the images that have straight sides, assemble the entire edge of your image to get a general idea of the space it occupies and begin to understand where each part of the figure is located.

5. Focus on specific parts

After assembling the edges, choose parts of the image on which to focus your work. An interesting way to do this is to define a certain piece of the image and work on it, so as not to get lost and increase your motivation.

 If you fit a piece in each corner of the puzzle, when you look, you will not feel that the work is paying off. If you assemble the whole of the sky, for example, the progress becomes more visible, which makes you more willing to continue.

Read our guide on how to solve a jigsaw puzzle more easily for more step-by-step help.

How to Choose a Puzzle

There is a wide range of puzzle themes to choose from, which means that, as long as you are aware of the size of the challenge you want to face and the style of image you like, just have fun checking out the options.

 Children's Puzzles

Children's puzzles usually come with an age indication, which is great to help you choose if you are looking for a puzzle to give as a gift.

Another interesting tip when buying puzzles for children is to combine the activity with a learning theme or even with a favorite character. For older children and teens, useful jigsaw puzzle tips include starting with edge pieces, sorting by colour, and choosing themes they already enjoy.

In general, children's puzzles range from 15 to 300 pieces. The options for adults start in this range and grow to more ambitious numbers. Of course, there are options for experienced puzzlers and hobbyists, but, as a rule, for the general public, it is customary to find games of up to 6000 pieces.

Puzzles for Adults

If you are just starting off and you do not know whether you will enjoy the activity, the ideal way is to start small and learn how to put together a puzzle step by step.

The effort to assemble a puzzle of thousands of pieces is considerably greater, which can make the task boring for those who are doing it for the first time.

To get an idea of the number of pieces you can face right now, think of the themes that attract you the most! One option that appeals to many people is landscapes. For those who are passionate about music, it may be a good idea to choose a puzzle that refers to this specific genre. For travel buffs, how about puzzles that depict famous sights?

We hope that you now understand how vast this world of puzzles is and how many different options we have at our disposal. If you feel ready to try this relaxing hobby, you can shop your favourite puzzles from Jigsaw Jungle today!