Jigsaw Puzzles for Adults
Jigsaw puzzles can often be found in the section of toys in many stores, mostly because a great variety of them are designed for kids. Yet, it would be a mistake to simply consider them as light entertainment for the youngsters. Despite their simple premise - a picture divided into pieces that need to be assembled - their allure is much more complex. Connecting the pieces together requires concentration, dedication, and passion. They also engage the brain in an activity that can result in many different benefits for the overall well-being of the players. That is why jigsaw puzzles for adults are as widely popular as they are.
For many, jigsaw puzzles are a healthy hobby that helps them keep their mind sharp and cope with stress at the same time. People of all demographics can enjoy a good jigsaw puzzle and if they are still reluctant to try them or find them boring, it is likely that they are yet to find a challenge that awakens their passion. If you are looking for jigsaw puzzles for adults that will help you join the “assembling fever”, here are a few points that you should take into consideration.
Number of pieces
Most jigsaw puzzles for adults start at 500 pieces. However, you should not feel pressured into beginning your journey as a jigsaw player with challenges of this dimension.
The 500-threshold is based on the number of pieces of puzzles for kids, assuming that a child has been playing these from a young age and are already experienced by the time they become adults. The more you play, the more natural it becomes to recognize the pieces and develop strategies to organize them and build the image methodically.
However, if you are not used to playing, assembling a 500-piece puzzle can be daunting. The right dimension for you should feel challenging but doable. If it is too hard, you might lose your heart and eventually give up.
Try to do a few smaller puzzles first and increase their difficulty as you feel they become too easy for you. Do not feel bad for starting slow. Even the players that are now challenging 4000 pieces once found the 500 ones way too difficult.
Pick bright colors and detailed pictures
Another thing to have into consideration in jigsaw puzzles for adults is the image to be assembled. There is a wider variety of options than there is for kids: beautiful landscapes, famous paintings, abstract shapes, color block illustrations, the list goes on and on.
You may be tempted to choose a picture simply because you like it or because you feel that it would make a good addition to your home decoration as a “painting” once it is completed. Those are perfect reasons and they are likely to keep you motivated. However, if you are a beginner, there are some details that you should also have into consideration.
The difficulty of a jigsaw puzzle does not depend solely on the number of pieces challenged. The picture itself is also an important factor. The less detailed it is, the harder it will be to build it in sections and find where the pieces should be placed. The same applies to colors if these are too similar in shade throughout the image. Take these two online jigsaw puzzles as an example: Lego Wall and Cute Puppies. They are both set for 30 pieces as a default dimension, but their difficulty is clearly different.
But do not feel demotivated. You do not have to start with less appealing images to get the right experience to tackle the ones you like. There is plenty of fish in the sea, as the saying goes. You will definitely find something that you like among the detailed, colorful options out there. You just might have to be a bit more thorough in your search.
Find a suitable workspace
Jigsaw puzzles for adults take longer to assemble because they have more pieces than those of the kids’ counterparts and because they are designed to be more challenging. Just for you to have an idea, on average, regular jigsaw players would take between 3 to 4 hours, non-stop and with no bathroom breaks, to finish a 1000-pieces puzzle. Therefore, you should carefully choose your workplace.
Consider that it might take hours to days to complete a jigsaw puzzle and that you cannot simply gather all the pieces when you grow tired or run out of time, put them in the box and then take it out again next time. There are special mats designed to help you “save” and put away the pieces at the end of each session, but their effectiveness depends on the dimension of the puzzle.
All of this to say that your dinner table might look tempting but not be the best workspace option if you still want to use it for your meals.
Play online
Online jigsaw puzzles have the great advantage of not taking up physical space and offering a much greater catalog of pictures to assemble only one click away. However, they are not everyone’s cup of tea and many still prefer to feel the pieces with their hands and smell their paper scent.
The device you use to play them also plays a big role. The smaller the screen the less enjoyable the experience and the more you need to strain your eyes.
Yet, they might be a good starting point as they let you customize the number of pieces you want to challenge and comfortably search for a picture that you like. You even have the chance to play many popular “kids puzzles” with your favorite cartoon characters with a difficulty level adapted for adults.
Plus, you can even create your own challenges using a picture of your liking or a personal photo.
