The first puzzles date from the end of the 18th century, when a cartographer and engraver in London had the ingenious idea of cutting maps of the world into small pieces, which were then assembled to reconstruct the complete map. He rightly believes that this is a good way to learn about geography, and this is how the first educational puzzles were born and he never knew that solving puzzles would have benefits.
Initially, a picture was painted on a wooden board, which was then cut into different pieces. It wasn’t until the early 1930’s that the technique evolved into mass production, which helped popularize the puzzle worldwide.
Now they are adorned with all kinds of images, with reproductions of famous paintings, cartoon heroes, animals, and other landscapes to assemble, and can be practiced by people of all ages. This helps puzzles more interesting, intriguing and fun for everyone. The amazing benefits of puzzles make it an ‘all time success game’. And if you thought puzzles were a dying activity, think again! It experienced a sales boom during the coronavirus pandemic, and that’s no coincidence when you know the benefits of puzzles.
Let’s Discuss 9 Benefits of Puzzles Mystery
- They develop concentration
To complete a puzzle, a child or adult must be able to concentrate on it for several minutes. This is a very good solution for those who tend to lose focus quickly. They will have to control themselves and will enjoy doing a calmer activity that requires long concentration.
- Puzzles, to counteract memory loss
Memory loss is one of the cognitive and intellectual disorders that can affect anyone. Many studies on the causes of this phenomenon believe that it is important to play games that stimulate the brain to fight against memory loss.
Indeed, when we go through the puzzle pieces in order to find the right shade of color adapted to the particular shape of the hole we are trying to assemble, we certainly keep the details in our memory in the short term.
It must be said that these skills are able to strengthen the connections between the different brain cells. This phenomenon particularly helps to create new ones. This effectively speeds up the processing of thoughts. This reinforcement is of great help to be able to perform important tasks in everyday life. However, there is a puzzle for every age. And you will learn more about that in one of the sections below.
- Puzzle games improve your self-esteem.
The puzzle puts boredom in brackets. Far from being an old-fashioned activity, this game not only soothes and relaxes but also allows for better self-evaluation. Self-esteem, the fact of having accomplished something as soon as the picture starts to form, etc., are significant advantages of the puzzle on the mind, whether it is a wooden puzzle or a 3D puzzle.
This self-esteem strengthens the player’s competitive spirit and allows him to go even further in the challenges of everyday life. With the puzzle game, the intellect has no limits either. When you want to find the solution to put the right pieces together and draw the picture, you can spend hours or even days to find the right solution.
- To focus on the competition with oneself- stronger and more resistant.
Most puzzle players can face difficulties when putting together a puzzle. Often it is very complicated to find the right place for a particular piece. It must be said that this case is really annoying. It is precisely this difficulty, especially the inability to solve the problem, that causes the player to start a competition against himself.
To find the best solution, it is necessary to observe analyze the colors and shapes. It should be said that these parameters are not simply limited to the puzzle. The logic created is very useful and should be applied in everyday life, professional and personal.
Therefore, the interlocking of the pieces of the puzzle is a great challenge with an unavoidable logic. This means that it is always possible to find the solution to any problem. Therefore, several actions must be implemented, including thinking, taking time, analyzing the situation, and also understanding the established mechanism.
In many cases, the puzzle pushes against the so-called “primitive” reflexes. This is a mindset characterized by giving up when faced with a more complex task. In fact, playing puzzles habituates the body and mind to be stronger and more resistant. You don’t let your emotions guide you. You think in a more logical and reflective way.
- Puzzles are a great way to fight against stress
Puzzles solving remains an interesting solution to take into account to disconnect from the screens for a while. During the long days of the vacations or during the weekends, it is better to privilege this activity to be sure to relax in family, in couple or between friends. The benefits are numerous.
As we said earlier, puzzle games require a high level of concentration, thought, and patience. It challenges the mind. It is a meditative game. Usually, when putting the puzzle pieces together, the brain automatically releases dopamine. This has a positive effect on memory, mood, and motivation.
Generally, placing the pieces and finishing the puzzle pushes players to understand or even remember the imagery, positioning, and logic of the puzzle. This activity leads away from screens, social networks, work responsibilities… The brain has the opportunity to escape to another universe while focusing attention on different pieces in one task.
For this moment to bear fruit, it would be ideal to choose a more complex puzzle in order to clearly enjoy and stimulate your mind. Besides, most of the puzzles are currently available in different themes. It is possible to discover the world during the game.
Today we find various models of puzzles: 3D puzzles, Animal Puzzles representing images of animals, and other models representing cities, characters, landscapes…
- To prevent the risk of Alzheimer’s and other mental disorders.
Generally, the puzzle is a perfect problem-solving activity that greatly reduces the amount of damage to brain cells. The damage to these cells is especially present in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
In this case, you should play with your friends and family to avoid brain damage and memory problems. It is even beneficial to spend as much time as possible in order to activate neurons, avoid rapid aging, develop executive functions and stimulate intellectual capacities.
- To improve perception
When playing the puzzle, the brain is accustomed to having more capacity to perceive the different anchor points, common points, variations, and differences. The player’s attention and memorization will also be improved, knowing that it requires a focused effort of concentration in order to know and understand the different ways of inserting the numerous pieces of the game.
Moreover, studies conducted on this point have been right to demonstrate the link between the practice of the puzzle and the improvement of the faculties of attention, execution, and perception. In addition to this, it must be said that some puzzle models also give the opportunity to immerse oneself in other passions, such as the Landscape Puzzle models showing the most emblematic tourist sites or puzzles showing mythical characters from the history of mankind, or other particular puzzle models.
- To promote socialization
Playing solo can be interesting in order to enjoy a serene and quiet atmosphere. However, it is always good to enjoy the presence of others. Playing with another person to solve a puzzle is always more fun. It also helps to promote general well-being. Collaborating with others is always interesting in order to achieve a particular goal. It is a solution to promote teamwork and also to prevent loneliness.
According to studies by experts, bonding and socializing with others has its own set of health benefits. So why not invite some of your friends or several generations of your family to solve a big puzzle? You’ll have the chance to enjoy a unique and memorable moment while strengthening your bond with them. You’ll have lots of good memories.
- Promote frustration tolerance
In addition to the above benefits, puzzles are also useful for encouraging frustration tolerance. Indeed, throughout the development of the activity, the players will encounter problems and difficulties in completing the picture. But they must overcome these moments of frustration to complete the construction. In this way, we learn to control ourselves and to think before acting.
What skills do puzzles develop? | what are the benefit of playing puzzle?
- Concentration
- Focus
- Perception
- Memory
- Self Esteem
- And more
What types of puzzles for you and your children?
There are, of course, the so-called “classic” puzzles, in 2D, with pieces to be fitted together in order to reproduce the image on the box. These puzzles – the most known – can be composed of tens of pieces for the models for children, to hundreds or even thousands of pieces for adults.
More recent, the 3D puzzle takes the concept of pieces to assemble but in relief, with creations that represent famous monuments, paintings, animals or characters, or fictional settings.
Other popular forms of puzzles include those found in educational software, such as Omnitux. It’s all about using logic and strategy to solve the challenges and get your brain working.
All you have to do is find the right puzzle for you to take a relaxing break!
How do you know the ideal age for each type of puzzle?
On the puzzles, the manufacturers indicate recommended ages, very often according to the number of pieces.
However, many criteria can vary the ideal age for each puzzle or the ideal puzzle for each age.
The colors and graphics of the puzzle, as well as the size of the pieces, are criteria to be taken into account, as well as the player’s abilities and interest in the puzzle theme.
The benefits of puzzles in early childhood development
- Between 12 months and 18 months, your baby will begin to manipulate the pieces of nesting puzzles, depending on their fine motor skills and developing eyesight. The first puzzles suitable for toddlers are those with grip buttons. Once they have learned to grasp with their thumb and forefinger, the wooden puzzles without grip buttons can be introduced.
- By the age of 2 to 3, your child begins to assemble 3-piece puzzles, then 6-piece puzzles, and in some cases may begin to assemble 20-piece puzzles.
- From the age of 3 to 5, depending on your child’s interest, you can already present them with puzzles of about 40 pieces.
- Around the age of 6 or 7, if your child shows a definite interest in puzzles, you can introduce them to puzzles of 250 to 500 pieces that they can do alone.
- At 8 years old, this is the age when the most difficult puzzles can be started: 1000 or 2000 pieces for the most passionate.
The benefits of jigsaw puzzles for adults
- For adults, the 2500-piece puzzles make great gifts. The visuals represent vintage posters from archival documents, thematic boards on nature, flowers, birds, or trees.