Top 10 Reasons Why Your Kids Should Do Jigsaw Puzzles
Author: Debbie Pollard Date Posted:24 February 2023
There’s a reason why puzzles have remained a popular pastime for generations. Aside from being entertaining, they are also essential learning tools that can help children develop in a variety of learning areas.
One of the most important things for you to consider is choosing age-appropriate puzzles for your child. Begin with simple puzzles such as basic shape outlines. As they grow, you can gradually introduce more complex versions, like those 100+ piece puzzles depicting their favourite themes or characters!
Here are 10 reasons why every child should do jigsaw puzzles:
1. They Aid Cognitive Development.
From a young age, kids who do jigsaw puzzles develop enhanced problem-solving skills, which helps foster cognitive development. As they put together the puzzle pieces, their brains will be hard at work figuring out how to fit all the pieces in the right places. This helps them become better thinkers and problem solvers as they grow.
2. They Develop Hand-Eye Coordination.
Jigsaw puzzles require hand-eye coordination to pick up and move pieces around the board accurately. This is especially important for younger children, assisting them in developing fine motor skills that will become essential as they grow older.
3. They Enhance Visual Perception.
Completing a jigsaw puzzle means recognising patterns and shapes quickly to determine where each piece should go. This helps enhance visual perception over time as their minds learn to process images faster and more accurately than before.
4. They Help with Memory Retention.
Doing jigsaw puzzles encourages kids to engage with pictures and images, which can then be stored in memory for later recall. This will not only be beneficial during school, but in everyday life, as it helps them remember things more easily.
5. They Teach Teamwork and Collaboration.
Working on a jigsaw puzzle together encourages kids to communicate effectively with each other, think creatively about how best to solve problems, and work as a team towards a common goal. These are all invaluable skills that will stay with them well into adulthood.
6. They Promote Creativity.
An excellent way for kids to exercise their creative thinking is through doing jigsaw puzzles - especially since they can use pieces of the puzzle in unexpected ways or even create something entirely new out of them. This creative exploration can also open up many possibilities for future projects or artwork.
7. They Boost Concentration Levels.
The challenge of piecing together a complex puzzle can help boost concentration levels in children by encouraging them to focus on one task at a time instead of becoming distracted quickly by other things around them - this will come in handy during school lessons too.
8. They Provide Stress Relief.
The peaceful nature of putting together jigsaws can provide a welcome respite from busy lives filled with school assignments, extracurricular activities, etc., allowing kids some much-needed stress relief after a long day at school or playtime outdoors.
9. They Encourage Patience and Perseverance.
Completing complex puzzles requires patience and perseverance, two qualities that any child should have if they're going to make it through life's ups and downs without giving up too quickly. Having these skills early on sets them up nicely for success later down the track.
10. They're Fun!
There's no denying that doing jigsaws is just plain fun. Kids love being challenged and rewarded when they figure out how all those little pieces fit together like magic.
Wrapping Up
Jigsaw puzzles and board games are not only good for your child's brain development, but they are also inexpensive. They assist your child in taking a break from TV, tablets, and computers by engaging their minds in a healthy source of entertainment for a couple hours. Puzzles stimulate young minds while also helping them to relax. They are also reusable, so kids can keep them and play with them repeatedly or swap them with friends. Check out our jigsaw collection to find one that guarantees hours of fun for your child!