Jigsaw puzzles are an enjoyable and inexpensive pastime which also benefits your brain! They help improve spatial thinking and improve your logic. They are also a great family-friendly activity, especially during the long winter nights.

Six Strategies to Put together Jigsaw Puzzles

To put puzzle easel table together faster and with less frustration There are a lot of techniques that you can apply. Here are some helpful tips.

Turn All the Pieces Picture-Side-Up

Sort Pieces Into Groups

Make the Border

Assemble by Sorting Groups, Colors, and Patterns

Pay attention to the piece Shapes

Spread it around

Turn All the Pieces Picture-Side-Up

Once you are ready to take the puzzle out, flip it to make sure that the picture side faces upward.

It sounds like a lot of work It sounds like it's a lot of work, and it's. However, it makes it easier to put the puzzle together!

Classify Components Towards Classes

While you're turning pieces over, start sorting them.

ALL edge pieces should be placed in a separate pile, and it is recommended to begin sorting interior pieces into smaller piles according to what section of the puzzle they seem to be from.

Example of Sorting Groups

If, for instance, you're making a game with some mountains that have houses in the background the sample group of piles could look like this:

Every edge is available (don't worry if you miss one or two, they'll come back later).

Pieces of furniture with houses on them.

Pieces that have other pieces of foreground (grass? trees? garden? ).

Pieces that have a mountain on them.

Pieces that have the sky over them (sometimes separated into blue and cloudy).

My family typically begins an activity with around four to six rough groups of pieces.

Create the Border

After you've put the pieces in a few piles separated, you can start assembling the puzzle. Because the border defines the area you'll be working in, it is best to start with them.

Don't fret if you're missing a few pieces. They'll come back.

Assemble by Sorting Groups or Colors and Patterns

Next, start working through the other piles. (If you're doing the puzzle with family or friends it's best to allocate one pile for 1-2 people.) It's best to start with the simpler pieces to avoid getting overwhelmed in the beginning and then giving up. In the mountain scene puzzle above, the simple stuff will be the house and foreground.

The Right Color is not the Correct Pattern

For most people, color is the easiest method of finding matching pieces, but also be attentive to lines and other patterns on the piece. Sometimes, the color is correct however it's not on the right side of the piece for it to be used or it's on the wall's edge or window or bush , or something else that isn't in the piece you're trying to find.

Be aware of the shape of your pieces

The shape of the piece is an additional important factor to take into consideration. Jigsaw puzzle pieces are available with six fundamental shapes. They range from zero "knobs" and four "holes" to four knobs and no holes, and the various combinations in between. You'll see if a piece is likely to fit where you want it. The more you understand, the easier it will be to recognize the pieces that don't.

You could do more sorting

As the puzzle moves into more difficult sections the more experienced puzzle players start to separate pieces into smaller piles that have similar colors, patterns and shapes. The blue sky pieces with two holes and two knobs are grouped together in one pile. Blue sky pieces that have three knobs and one in each hole are placed in a different pile.

That way it is possible to ignore a hard-to-find puzzle piece and you know it has at minimum two knobs, you can easily ignore every piece from the four-hole and three-hole piles without wasting your time sifting through them or trying to test the pieces.

Spread It Out

Like I said, jigsaw puzzles make great family fun. It is important to ensure that the jigsaw puzzle table top or any other flat surface be laid out so that the family can maintain harmony. It should be large enough so that no one is bumping into each other trying to solve the problem, and that there is sufficient light for everyone else.

If you don't have a table big enough, think about investing in a puzzle mat. Also, make sure that nobody hogs the box with the picture of the puzzle that has been completed!