Jigsaw puzzles were once an intrinsic part of our childhood evenings before we moved away from colourful board games to video games or became busy with work.
Even though they may seem like an outdated game, recent records show that there has been a resurgence in the sale of jigsaw puzzles. Both kids and adults are showing a renewed interest in this wonderful game.
It’s a blessing to have them back in popularity again for many reasons.
Benefits of Doing Jigsaw Puzzles
Here are some benefits of doing jigsaw puzzles that may surprise you.
A break from the mundane routine of drudgery has overtaken our lives to the core. We have forgotten to unplug ourselves from work even after signing out of the office.
Our phones have kept us plugged into work, meetings, and deadlines 24/7.
Information explosion and addiction to social media have clogged our minds enough.
Puzzles can give you a break from the daily grind in such mundane times. This quiet and creative pastime of our childhood can hook everyone from children to tweens, adults and seniors with equal interest.
They take us away from daily stress and struggle, giving us a much-needed break after work. An hour’s play is enough to rejuvenate the mind more than you imagine.
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They exercise the left and right sides of the brain.
Jigsaw puzzles help in exercising both sides of the brain. The left side of the brain is involved in logical work, while the right brain is involved in creative and intuitive work.
- One of the benefits of doing jigsaw puzzles is that it engages both sides of the brain. It’s a wonderful way to engage in a mental workout and improve your brain functioning.
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Jigsaw puzzles improve your memory.
Jigsaw puzzles are known to help improve your memory. If you can’t remember names, numbers, small information, or things you plan to do in your mind, you may be suffering from short-term memory loss.
- Playing jigsaw puzzles can help improve the connection between your brain cells, strengthen brain functioning and mental speed, calculation and improve your short-term memory.
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Puzzles can improve your focus and attention.
Problems in focussing can hinder good performance for both children and adults. It’s common to find yourself distracted at the office or while preparing for jobs. You may also have difficulty focusing on important work.
- Sometimes, children may have extreme difficulty concentrating on their studies, and their attention span may be too brief.
Puzzles can be a creative way to solve this problem for all age groups. - When you start a game of jigsaw puzzles and gain interest, you take on the challenge to complete the picture by joining the pieces no matter how long it takes. Your brain starts working to achieve the goal, slowly gaining interest in the whole process.
- It increases your focus on one goal and makes you more attentive. The more you play with jigsaw puzzles, the more you find an improvement in your focus and concentration. Thus, even children hugely benefit from this game.
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Increases your reasoning skills.
Jigsaw puzzles can also help improve your reasoning skills. While you advance in the game, you learn to look at the individual pieces to join and make the big picture.
- It improves your visual and spatial reasoning skills. Such skills help you in mastering several life skills like driving, understanding a map, figuring out dance steps, etc.
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Jigsaw puzzles help you meditate.
Playing with jigsaw pieces is also a great way to spend time alone. It is not only a stress reliever but also helps you meditate.
- If you are clueless about spending a free evening chatting on the phone or watching a movie, take out a box of puzzles instead.
Focussing on the pieces to create the actual big picture with immense concentration and discarding any distractive thoughts that may enter your mind is a form of meditation. - By playing the puzzle game, you are giving your mind the same benefits of meditation. Therefore, jigsaw puzzles are meditative and stress-relieving.
Final Words
Isn’t it wonderful how an apparent child’s game can have a wide range of benefits for all age groups?
Get home a few jigsaw puzzles for kids and adults, available in various designs and levels from Puzzles Australia.
From aboriginal art to the map of Australia, photographs of tourist spots in Australia, flags, fairy tales, and animals, you can get almost anything you are looking for.
Moreover, it’s easy to create custom puzzles of your choice using any photograph you want to see in the form of a jigsaw puzzle.
Choose your levels from 30 pieces to 1000 pieces and get playing. An hour of play every day lets you reap a truckload of health benefits from doing jigsaw puzzles.
