Before the days of internet, what were we doing to entertain ourselves? Maybe some of us play sports, do cross stitches, or some of us play with puzzles. There are many different types of puzzles for different ages - word puzzles, word searches, number puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. These puzzles can keep anyone (old or young) entertained for hours. As you shall see, later in this article, puzzles are not only fun to complete, but they are also highly educational. For young children, puzzles provide the much needed stimulation they need. So how did puzzles get started?
Do you know that the humble jigsaw puzzle is about 240 years old and was invented in 1767 by John Spilsbury, an engraver and mapmaker? While teaching his student geography, he cut the map up into pieces and the jigsaw puzzle was born. A stroke of genius perhaps. But the jigsaw puzzle has somehow gotten popular among the mainstream, almost as if by some divine path. Perhaps inspired by John, parents now use jigsaw puzzles widely to educate their young.
Many parents buy jigsaw puzzles for their young ones as educational toys. Doing jigsaw puzzles can help in developing several functions of the brain simultaneously, as the child has fun and learns. The development of sequence, logical thought, analysis and hand-eye coordination are just some of the value of jigsaw puzzles. Some puzzles also have a specific learning objective, for instance, it is a map of the world or the solar system.
Some parents buy jigsaw puzzles for their children when they are very young. Children see jigsaw puzzles as toys, and they certainly welcome the sight of colorful puzzles. The first time working on a jigsaw puzzle is often a slow process, since the children would be unfamiliar with the pictures. Do it a few more times, and they would surely be able to improve on their timing. Try to compete with your children on completing a jigsaw puzzle some time. It would most certainly be a fun experience.
As with everything else in our lives, technology made an influence. Today, we no longer have to buy a physical box of puzzle, lay out all the pieces on the floor and worry that your dog would eat some pieces up. Neither do you have to worry about framing the puzzles up, and wondering where to hang them.
Online jigsaw puzzles are easily accessible, much more convenient and the whole family can play them. Today, you may feel like doing a 64 piece puzzle of the skyline of New York City and an 81 pieces puzzle of Picasso's Jacqueline in Studio. Tomorrow, you might want to do something more challenging and choose a 100 pieces puzzle showing nothing but glass cylinders, with not much colors and details. Your 5-year old might want to do the same picture, but at a lower level of difficulty, say, 16 pieces.
New puzzles are constantly being added, so you will never run out of puzzles to do. You could try the daily puzzle, which features a different picture every day. Or why not upload a picture of your family and do a jigsaw puzzle on that? You could also redo the same puzzle again and again, and get your timing in the hall of fame. The possibilities are endless and it is a great way to relieve stress!
Today jigsaw puzzles are a familiar product on the retailer's shelf. Originally invented by the London mapmaker, John Spilsbury in the mid 18th century they were developed as an aid to teach geography. Two hundred and fifty years later, jigsaw puzzles are still in the marketplace thanks to their enduring appeal to all age groups. Today, images are printed rather than hand painted onto the board surface. The puzzles are made of cardboard as opposed to wood and are cut by precision machines rather than hand sawn with a jigsaw as in Spilsbury's day. As a gesture to their origins, some manufacturers still produce a few titles (especially for children) from wooden boards. Used as an early teaching tool, world maps would be painted on the board, be cut up using a jigsaw into the various countries and put together again by young geography students. Color and shape are the most obvious clues to where a piece goes into the puzzle. This requires both manual dexterity as well as the ability to recognize complementary shapes and surrounding colors. For those whose cognitive powers are not as acute as they once were, it is obvious that jigsaw puzzles are a benefit to hand eye coordination as well as a mental exercise. As a form of gentle therapy, card games come to mind for their deductive reasoning as well as the added benefit of socialization. Reading, crosswords or playing mind teasers such as Sudoku are all obvious ways to stimulate the brain. In a recent study, it has been shown the best way to avoid the onset of dementia is by exercise and diet and that mental stimulation alone is not enough. In order to allow seniors an easier option you can now find 500 piece puzzles the same overall size as a 1000 piece puzzle. Completing a puzzle instills a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction requiring the individual to observe, think about and finally execute a set of skills unique to puzzle making. Puzzles can be either solitary pursuits or family activities. As therapy they can be made up in groups with each individual assigned as specific task such as assembling the same color or straight edges. Learning, consolidation, storage and recall are the four components of memory. Without recall the viability of other three functions cannot easily be observed. All four occur in a specific sequence and the ability to learn depends on the linear flow of information. Many activities (including puzzle making) will stimulate each of the functions. Competitive puzzle hobbyists regularly assemble a 1000 piece puzzle in about an hour. A senior's ability to deny the loss of mental dexterity will be enhanced by practicing a similar skill set. Promises of chemical discoveries as well as gene therapies appear reassuring and may even offer treatment today. As an attempt to address the problems of the aging brain it may be possible to mitigate the occurrence or severity of a negative episode through the repeated activities such as discussed above. Combined with diet and exercise, mental activities are the sure ways to provide stimulating challenges whose benefits could last decades. We do not count our limbs or physical parts of our bodies as ourselves. The mind though is where we as individuals reside; the loss of which presents the greatest fear. Unassuming exercises such as jigsaw puzzles may help prolong a healthy mind and enhance the pleasure of life.
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