They are great gymnastics for the mind, teach logical thinking and are brilliant for the brain. These are just a few of the advantages of jigsaw puzzles, which provide a whole host of benefits - for older and younger players alike. And even though the first jigsaw puzzles were created as early as the 13th century, they are still fun for generations to come. Find out why they are worth playing with!
More and more people are becoming interested in the topic of meditation and mental awareness. What does the latter term mean? It is mainly about being aware of your thoughts, feelings and body at any given time. Putting together a jigsaw puzzle can put you in a state similar to meditation, where your hands and brain work simultaneously. Stress then disappears and is replaced by a feeling of calmness and peace. This has been studied and proven by researchers at Yale University. Thanks to the calming effect of the puzzles, not only adults but also children can successfully assemble the puzzles, e.g. when it is almost bedtime, especially after a crazy day at the playground.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - stress reduction and calming
Puzzles can also contribute to a better sense of wellbeing. In what way? Simply receiving a fantastic jigsaw puzzle provides a flow of good energy that could be bestowed on many people around you. What's more, a creative pastime such as jigsaw puzzles also influences the release of dopamine when simply putting the puzzle together. This hormone, in turn, influences good mood.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - improved wellbeing
Frequent participation in this activity has been shown to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, i.e. Alzheimer's disease, memory loss, dementia and other conditions that appear in old age. What is more, jigsaw puzzles are recommended as part of post-stroke rehabilitation - this is because they allow concentration and focus to be exercised. Jigsaw puzzles are also effective in lowering blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, it also evens out breathing.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - effective fight against neurodegenerative diseases
Research shows that solving puzzles involves as many as two cerebral hemispheres working simultaneously. The first of these, the left hemisphere, is responsible for logical and rational thinking, while the right hemisphere is responsible for creativity, emotions and intuition. This means that this activity activates the grey cells, which work intensively and become more capacious and efficient. This, in turn, improves the functioning of the brain, which in turn improves mental clarity and efficiency. This makes it easier to cope with, for example, an overload of responsibilities. What's more, it allows us to change our perspective on issues that seemed unsolvable to us before. The earlier a child starts playing with puzzles, the sooner his or her brain will be stimulated accordingly.
Creativity and logical thinking are extremely important skills, and this starts in childhood. They enable us to better understand the reality around us. For, as it turns out, creativity is not only the domain of artists, but an ability that any of us can develop. It is worth remembering that many so-called successful people, such as businessmen, inventors or scientists, can boast of this ability. This is why it is a good idea to exercise your imagination and artistic sense from an early age. One way to do this is with jigsaw puzzles, which allow the creation of a wide variety of patterns. At the same time, the toddler can discover through play that creativity has its limits and that a rectangular block will not become round on request.
What about logical thinking? As it turns out, assembling pieces of similar colours is an effective aid to thinking and has a positive effect on analytical skills. Thanks to the jigsaw puzzle, you can also learn to plan the sequence of events and predict the consequences of your actions.
Benefits of puzzles - logical thinking and creativity
There is no doubt that frequent jigsaw puzzles help to improve concentration. As you complete the various pieces, the aforementioned dopamine is released, which is also responsible for learning and remembering. Looking for the missing pieces of a puzzle also leads to learning to visualise - while playing, we try to recreate in our mind the image we want to put together. What is visualisation itself? It is, in other words, the practice of consciously creating mental images. It has been scientifically proven to improve motor function. It involves creating certain experiences in your mind or recreating them. In this way, it is possible to imagine well, for example, how a penalty kick is executed in detail.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles: better concentration and learning to visualise
An important benefit of jigsaw puzzles is that they can also improve perceptiveness. What's more, it helps to improve short-term memory. This is important not only for children, but also for adults - if you are unable to remember what you had for breakfast yesterday, it is definitely worth taking an interest in jigsaw puzzles. While fitting their pieces together, association skills are also developed. This has a positive effect on our visual memory, which in turn comes in handy when studying, for example.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - improving memory and perceptiveness
Researchers at the University of Chicago have shown that jigsaw puzzles are excellent for developing spatial skills. They are very useful, especially when you are in an unfamiliar place and have to find your way to your destination. They allow us to understand the relationship between different pieces and objects. Jigsaw puzzles, especially 3D and 4D puzzles, allow us to develop these very important skills.
It is worth pointing out that spatial imagination is not only useful for us when we travel. It enables us to assemble individual elements into a whole and to anticipate the effects of our actions. This, in turn, allows us to solve problems on many different levels. It is also important that jigsaw puzzles improve spatial vision. Looking at the individual pieces and imagining how they might fit together contributes to the development of this type of perception, which in turn makes it easier, for example, to drive a car.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - developing spatial imagination
Jigsaw puzzles are definitely worth encouraging not only for the elderly, but also for children. Why? Because it's great for developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. By fitting the pieces together, toddlers can exercise their fingers, which has a positive effect on their dexterity, precision and finesse of movement. The puzzles allow them to come into contact with different textures, exercising their sense of balance and deep feeling at the same time.
Why are we writing about all this? Because good fine motor skills make it safer to perform all activities of daily life: walking, sitting, squatting, running or turning, as well as other activities that involve the whole body of the toddler. This makes learning to use cutlery, dressing, washing and combing much easier. Motor skills also have an impact on, among other things, later learning to write and paint, as well as a more secure grip. It can therefore be said that puzzles give children a better start in life from the very beginning.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - developing fine motor skills and manual dexterity
Puzzles can also prove to be a great educational aid. Jigsaw puzzles depict images of different objects, landscapes, plants, animals, objects, rivers, mountains, geometric figures, colours, letters, numbers, etc., which can help children to learn how to identify them. In this way, the child can learn to identify them and thus expand his or her knowledge of the world. By arranging the puzzles, images appear to the eye, which can encourage your child to learn about the surrounding reality and thus develop various childhood passions. It is not uncommon for jigsaw puzzles to show very different corners of the world, and you can use them to find out what famous cities or exhibits look like.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - opportunities to learn about different topics
Putting together an entire composition made up of puzzles often requires a lot of time. This, in turn, teaches persistence, patience and perseverance. What is more, if the child succeeds, he or she gets great satisfaction from this and begins to believe in his or her own abilities. This in turn contributes to a greater sense of self-esteem. It also provides the child with motivation to do more, often creative things. Why is all this important? Because at some point the toddler learns skills such as washing, eating and dressing. However, he does not always manage to do them well, so it is worthwhile for him to try his hand at an area where he can succeed. It is important, however, that the puzzles are suited to the age and ability of the toddler, so that they are fun and rewarding.
Important assets of jigsaw puzzles - learning to aim for a goal
Sometimes a child does not always succeed in putting together a jigsaw puzzle. This is a very bitter lesson, but the toddler must somehow come to terms with his failure. In doing so, however, he can learn that mismatched puzzle pieces do not mean the end of the world. What's more, over time, he will also understand that it's worthwhile to keep trying and that, in time, fitting the pieces together will become easier and easier.
Important assets of jigsaw puzzles - learning to cope with failure
Jigsaw puzzles are often completed with other people. Children should also be encouraged to do so, as they can then learn the principles of cooperation. Moreover, it is a great opportunity to integrate with their peers. The skills learnt through play can help children adapt more quickly to kindergarten and school and, at later stages of life, to work. In addition, it is a great way to spend time with the whole family - a pastime that provides enjoyment for people of all ages. If you are a parent of children in their adolescence, jigsaw puzzles can also be an opportunity to engage them in conversation about other important topics.
Important benefits of jigsaw puzzles - learning to cooperate and integrate with others
It should not be forgotten that jigsaw puzzles are a great pastime. Unlike smartphones or tablets, it does not need to be recharged or have its batteries replaced. This, in turn, makes it possible to play with it anytime and anywhere, even when there is no electricity in the flat. What's more, it is also possible to do the puzzles away from home, e.g. in a café or at a friend's house. They don't take up too much space, so you can put them in a rucksack or a regular shopping bag.
The advantages of jigsaw puzzles - a pastime that can be enjoyed forever
Jigsaw puzzles also give you the opportunity to relax without screens. This is important because too much use of computers causes developmental disorders and difficulties with sensory integration. It over-stimulates the sense of sight and also makes it difficult to control emotions. Until the age of 18, children should not be exposed to tablets, smartphones or laptops at all. If it is necessary, it must only be occasional, for example in the form of a conversation with a grandparent sitting on the other side of the screen.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - entertainment without screens
If you are a parent, you can use jigsaw puzzles to learn something about your child. First of all, it is an opportunity to observe his temperament and the strategies he adopts. What's more, it's also a chance to find out what your child is actually interested in and absorbed by. You can then also find out whether he is persistent in his pursuit of a goal or whether he gives up quickly.
Benefits of jigsaw puzzles - opportunity to observe your child
Do you want a jigsaw puzzle with a picture of your loved ones? Do you want them to present an artistic collage? Or maybe you want to treat them as an advertising gadget with your company logo? Tell us about your idea and we will take care of its realisation. Whether you want them to consist of 100 or 1000 pieces, we will be happy to help you!