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!