What Skills Do Jigsaw Puzzles Develop?

Contrary to its literary meaning, puzzles can help us unravel several mental mysteries that stop us from living our lives to the fullest. What skills do jigsaw puzzles develop?

High-quality jigsaw puzzles help us develop finger strength, tenacity, and cognitive skills in all age groups.

Children can derive the following benefits from puzzles.

• • Increased attention span and improved concentration

  • Certain studies conducted by child development specialists suggest that a child’s attention span in minutes is about 2-5 times their age. So a 5-year-old child might be able to concentrate for 10-25 minutes, whereas a 2-year-old child may only be able to do the same for 4-10 minutes. Introducing children to puzzles can improve their concentration appreciably.

• • Visual-spatial reasoning

  • Spatial awareness relates to being aware of the physical presence of other objects. More so when objects are moved from one place to another.The inherent nature of the game exposes children to spatial reasoning as they move the jigsaw puzzle pieces to unveil the picture.

• • Gross motor skills

  • Motor skills refer to movements of the muscles to perform a specific bodily function. It involves the brain neurons, muscles, and the nervous system.If toddlers start engaging themselves with puzzles, their gross motor skills will improve. Older children may augment their fine motor skills by spending quality time-solving puzzles.

• • Shape recognition

  • Puzzles are deliberately cut in different shapes to expose the brain to multiple dimensions and shapes. It helps children recognise various shapes and sizes.

• • Gathering knowledge on a variety of topics

  • It is common in preschools and kindergartens to include high-quality jigsaw puzzles to illustrate a particular topic to the children. This way, children learn a wide array of subjects in a playful manner.

• • Improved hand-eye coordination

  • It is a major skill that children can develop by solving a puzzle. Placing the jigsaw puzzle pieces in the appropriate place goes a long way in improving their hand-eye coordination.

• • Problem-solving mindset

  • Kids tend to escape arduous tasks that require persistence. Hence, some of them may be prone to keeping simple problems unsolved. Jigsaw puzzles can imbibe a problem-solving mentality that will hold them in good stead in years to come.

• • It acts as a memory booster.

  • Puzzles are natural memory stimulators. Every time you pick up a new piece of the puzzle, you are trying to recall where this piece might fit in.

• • Instill a sense of self-worth

  • Remember the euphoria you felt when the final piece of the puzzle went into the slot to reveal the desired picture? Achieving such small but significant milestones can help children develop self-esteem. Once they get the taste of success, you won’t have to push them toward a jigsaw puzzle.

• Interpersonal Skills

• Children can all come together as a close-knit team if they start solving puzzles together. It is an ideal game that encourages teamwork and builds social skills.

How can high-quality jigsaw puzzles help adults?

• • Increased productivity at the workplace

    A relaxed mind is always more productive than an agitated mind. The monotony of the workplace can adversely affect employees’ productivity levels, particularly if their work entails sitting in one place for long hours.
    Many organisations keep puzzles or similar games in the cafeteria or game rooms to help their employees unwind.

• • Teamwork and collaboration

    Solving a puzzle together as a team can foster a sense of team spirit. It augers well for any organisation that values teamwork and a collaborative mindset among its employees.
    It also goes a long way in building mutual respect and empathy. Colleagues tend to support each other in difficult times and exchange skills that increase overall productivity.

• • Enhanced IQ

    Research has proven that jigsaw puzzles can markedly improve one’s intelligence quotient. Engaging yourself in puzzles for 25 minutes a day can increase your IQ by 4 points.

• Increased attention to detail

  In the hurricane age that we live in, it’s very easy to develop an inattentive mind. In our endeavour to focus on the bigger issues in life, we may ignore smaller things that can later turn out to be essential.
  Putting small jigsaw puzzle pieces together can open our minds to the importance of giving due attention to every detail. Focusing on the minutest of details can be the key to solving many professional problems. This kind of approach is sure to have a positive impact on your professional field.

Final thoughts

Puzzles Australia gives you many options in selecting high-quality jigsaw puzzles.

There’s one for every age and every mood.

Join the jigsaw puzzle pieces to reveal a life of peace and joy.