The Benefits of Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaws Can Educate, Stretch the Mind & Make a Great Gift

Sep 11, 2009
Carol Finch

The Benefits of the Jigsaw Puzzle - Photo by hummeri

Jigsaw puzzles are one of the few games that really can be enjoyed by all ages. Often viewed as educational, they can also keep the mind active & can be used as fun gifts

People of all ages enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles. Babies will often be given a basic wooden jigsaw as an early toy and many people come back to puzzling in later life as a hobby. This isn't just about having fun. Doing a jigsaw comes with a range of mental and physical benefits and they can also make great gifts with a bit of thought.

The Educational Benefits of Jigsaw Puzzles for Children

It's not a coincidence that the shelves in toy stores always seem to contain a lot of jigsaws for all ages of children. Most kids will enjoy doing puzzles during their childhood. They are simply fun. But, there are also a range of benefits that come with this kind of toy. They can help children develop and boost certain key skills that will be useful to them as they proceed through school and on into later life. These include:

Puzzles can help develop a child's reasoning and problem solving skills. Even the simplest jigsaw will require them to think about what they do as they try to put the puzzle together.
Puzzles can also help a child to develop their fine motor skills when they are young. Having to pick up individual pieces and slot them into place without breaking up the bits they have already completed can be a complex task to learn. But, it can reinforce some skills that are essential to their development.
Putting a puzzle together will also work on the child's hand-eye co-ordination and their understanding of shapes and colours.
The subjects on puzzles can also be used as educational aids. An alphabet or number puzzle, for example, will be fun for the child to complete but is also a good opportunity for a parent to chat to them about letters and numbers and to reinforce learning.
Solving a puzzle can do wonders for a child's self-esteem. As puzzles get more challenging for them they also learn useful life skills such as seeing things through to completion and trying different approaches to problem solving.

One of the biggest benefits for children here is the fact that puzzles are fun. Many children will resist learning at home if they know it is happening. Enjoying making up a puzzle, however, could mask the fact that they are also having an educational experience.

The Benefits of Jigsaws for Adults

Although many adults get out of the habit of doing jigsaws as they grow older this remains a popular hobby for a lot of people. It is also a common pastime for people who have recently retired and who are looking for something fun to do now that they have more time on their hands. Many also believe that there are some real benefits to doing jigsaws, especially as people get older. These include:

Doing jigsaw puzzles can keep the mind active. Relaxing and fun as puzzles may be they will also involve the use of specific areas of the brain and a variety of mental skills. Many people find that one of the bonuses of puzzling is that it helps keep their minds active and alert.
Jigsaws can also be used positively from a physical perspective as people get older. Many find, for example, that doing a jigsaw regularly, even for just a few minutes a day, can be a useful way of promoting manual dexterity.

Both adults and children can enjoy doing puzzles on their own but this can be a fun social activity as well. A group of adults tackling a large and complex jigsaw can have a lot of fun!

Ideas for Giving Jigsaw Puzzles as Gifts

Jigsaws can make the perfect gift, both for children and for adults. They can, of course, simply be purchased in a store or online ready to go in a box. Personalised jigsaws are an alternative that can also make a simple gift really mean something. So, for example, a parent could take a photo of their kids and have it made up into a jigsaw as a gift for their grandparents. A photo or image of virtually anything could be personalised here.

The Growth of Online Jigsaw Puzzles

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of websites offering online jigsaws. These can be played on a computer either on a specialist site or as part of a general games site. Again, there are options available here for all ages and, best of all, the puzzles on offer here will be free!