Jigsaw Puzzles: The Perfect Piece for a Cold Winter Day

Jigsaw puzzles are as popular today as when they first were created—over two centuries ago! The first jigsaw puzzle was said to be made by a cartographer, who created a wooden map of multiple European countries and then cut it apart.

Every year, millions of people spend countless hours working on puzzles and thrive on the challenge of fitting the myriad pieces together to completing the picture to displaying the final puzzle as framed artwork. Puzzles are made for all ages in varying degrees of complexity, with pieces numbering as few as five to over 15,000! If you’ve never tackled this so-called rainy-day activity, you may wonder, “What is the appeal?”

Individuals who enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles often took up this hobby at an early age. Maybe it was a parent at home for a rainy-day activity or a special activity to do at a grandparent’s house. The appeal may be different for each individual. For children puzzles are great learning tool. They help children develop spatial perception, color sensitivity and hand-eye coordination, as well as providing lots of fun. Others may do them to pass time in the cold winter months as a leisurely activity to work on a little bit each day. Others may puzzle for the sheer feeling of accomplishment one gets after of completing the challenge of a complex puzzle, causing them to seek out puzzles with even more pieces or complication subjects.

Puzzles make terrific gifts for all ages. Individuals recovering from illness or surgery often have a lot of time on their hands and puzzles can be a welcome way to pass time during recovery. A popular puzzle theme is the photographic images of landscapes, abundant with fluffy clouds, sunset colors, mountains and meadows. The true jigsaw puzzle enthusiast revels in a picture such as this, with perhaps hundreds of pieces that make up the sky. There’s no question that this hobby requires patience and persistence.

Jigsaw puzzles are available in themes to suit almost every personality and taste. So, if you’re looking to bust those winter-boredom blues on January 29, National Puzzle Day, visit your local store or browse online, you’re sure to find a puzzle that is the perfect fit for you!