Why Jigsaw Puzzles Matter

Not every adult loves jigsaw puzzles – some might not have the patience, others might find them boring, and others might not get the point of them. But did you know that they’re a fantastic way for kids to learn a multitude skills? Indeed, growing research is showing that introducing kids to puzzles in early childhood can reap massive rewards as they develop. They’re also a great activity for kids and parents to do together, forging those oh-so-important bonds. We’ve chosen 12 of the most compelling reasons why you should introduce your little ones to the magical world of puzzles.

Gross and fine motor skills

Gross motor skills involve the large muscles in the arms, legs and torsos. They’re really important for everyday coordination and activities such as sports. Fine motor skills involve the small muscles in the hands and wrists and are needed for activities that require more precise movements, such as buttoning clothes, brushing teeth, playing musical instruments and drawing. Larger puzzles and floor puzzles, which involve kids moving around to transfer pieces, can help with gross motor skill development. Handling and placing small puzzle pieces can be a really effective way of developing fine motor skills.

Visual perception

Visual perception is the brain’s ability to interpret the information that it receives from the eyes. That’s really important as a staggering 80% of all sensory information comes through the eyes. Matching puzzle shapes and colours helps kids develop their visual perception. Puzzles also help them with other important skills such as visual memory (‘where did I see that piece I need?’) and visual discrimination (‘how are these pieces similar and different?’).

Hand-eye coordination

Hand-eye coordination is closely linked to visual perception, as well as gross and fine motor skills, as it involves getting the hands and eyes to work together. It’s essential for everyday tasks such as handwriting, catching a ball, and using cutlery. Manipulating puzzle pieces can help improve hand-eye coordination in children.

Concentration

Research suggests that, in our era of electronic devices, children’s attention spans are decreasing. Puzzles can help increase concentration and attention span because, as long as they are age- and ability-appropriate, they will require kids to stay in one place and focus their attention on a task that will take some time.

Problem solving

Puzzles can be frustrating but that’s precisely why they’re great for development – they require kids to think about how to solve them by finding the correct pieces and understanding how they will link together. And at some point this will involve trial and error, a real world skill, to work out how to do a puzzle. Kids will learn critical thinking and self-correction as they endeavour to complete the puzzle.

Spatial relations

Spatial relations describe the relative positions of objects with respect to other objects or a reference position. Puzzles help develop kids’ understanding of spatial relations and how puzzle pieces might fit if you rotate them. These skills are useful for kids when they learn how numbers on a number line are related or how letters are positioned.

Cognitive development

Puzzles are great for developing cognitive skills (essentially thinking, reasoning, and remembering). To complete a puzzle children will have to work out how the pieces fit together and this will involve skills such as memory, deduction, adaptive thinking.

Early maths

Puzzles are a great introduction for kids to some key concepts important in maths. As they complete puzzles children will begin to understand and distinguish shapes, sizes, patterns, angles, and tessellation.

Perseverance

Closely linked to attention span, perseverance is an ability that kids will need throughout their lives if they want to be successful at almost anything. By their very nature, puzzles take some time to figure out and complete, but they teach kids the satisfaction that comes from persevering to complete a task.

Mindfulness and relaxation

Doing a puzzle is a quiet activity which doesn’t have the time pressures involved in many other games. The process can help kids to destress and relax, as well as teaching them the beauty of living in the moment.

Independent play

Although the smallest kids might need some help to complete their first puzzles, after that they’ll embrace the activity as a great way to entertain themselves without needing adult intervention.

Social skills

Conversely, although puzzles can be great for independent play, they can be great activities for children to do together. Kids can learn lifelong skills such as sharing, cooperation, teamwork, and improved communication skills as they work with others to solve the problems they encounter.

These are just a limited number of the developmental benefits that jigsaw puzzles can bring. Although not every child will develop a love of puzzles, their early childhood is the perfect opportunity to introduce them to this wonderful activity. Happy puzzling!