How Jigsaw Puzzles are fitting into everyones lives

With many of us spending more time at home than usual plenty of us are looking for rewarding and engaging ways to spend the extra time we have on our hands - whether it’s spring cleaning the house, honing your signature Victoria sponge cake recipe or learning that skill we always wanted to.

When it comes to fun things to do at home, we are starting to see a big resurgence of home based, analogue games and hobbies, not least the humble wooden jigsaw puzzles!

Here we’ll look into the potential benefits of jigsaw puzzles while we all do our part and #staysafe and #stayhome.

24/40 pieces of wooden jigsaw puzzles for children and babies | Shopee Việt Nam

Mindfulness and Relaxation

At a time when it’s easy to feel wound-up and frustrated, indulging in a puzzle is the ideal way to unwind and relax. It also helps to bring your mind and thoughts to the present moment giving you respite from some of the outside distractions while you check in with your inner self. For more information on the positive aspects of mindfulness and puzzles see our blog post from mindfulness expert Simon Alexander Ong

Mental Workout

One of the most profound benefits of puzzling is how much it helps you to engage your brain, which is perfect for when you start to get the feeling you’re becoming at one with the sofa after watching too many box sets. Trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle helps bring together both your left (logical) and right (creative) sides of the brain, kickstarts your focus and can relieve boredom or mental ‘staleness’.

Some people can even find out more about themselves in the process - Are you drawn to certain aspects in the puzzle that you want to start first, abstract sections or splashes of colour? Do you work more methodically and complete outwards-in? What does your puzzling say about you?

Distraction from the TV

Some feedback that we get from many of our customers is the amount of times they’ve set up their puzzle on the coffee table, with a glass of wine in hand and the intention of turning on telly in the background… only to find themselves a couple of hours in, puzzle nearly complete and the TV forgotten. What’s more, they’ve found that it enticed other family members away from their phones and video games consoles to join in, working together, connecting over their new jigsaw and celebrating when someone connects a particularly troublesome section. One of the best things about jigsaws is how inclusive they are, meaning the whole family can join in and it’s suitable for all ages.

In a world surrounded by electronics, sometimes it feels great to switch our phones on silent, say no to that next episode for now, and tune in to a jigsaw.