In childhood jigsaws are a toy used to teach shapes, words geography and colours and provide focused, quiet time for children and parents alike. They’re used in waiting rooms to pacify, in schools to educate and develop fine motor skills, helping to prepare children for reading.Jigsaw puzzles are a powerful tool for stimulating the mind, and that doesn’t stop post-childhood.
Research shows that carrying on the hobby into adulthood has quantifiable benefits. Studies, like the MacArthur study, have shown that keeping the mind active with jigsaw puzzles and other activities that engage the mind can result in a longer life expectancy, a better quality of life and reduce chances of developing certain types of mental illness, including memory loss, dementia and even Alzheimer’s Disease.
Adult jigsaw puzzles help the mind as they require concentration and represent a difficult challenge to be overcome. Identifying the right puzzle piece, finding it and slotting it within a continuously growing image requires focus and creativity, logical and spatial thinking. And develops all of these skills.
Visual perception and coordination are improved through puzzle building, adults and children who are encouraged to configure these pieces often experience enhanced creativity, problem solving and motor skills.
Puzzle building can also be therapeutic. As the puzzle comes to completion and more pieces are matched, the brain releases the feel-good chemical known as dopamine. Dopamine also plays a key role in both memory improvement and learning ability. And unless you are building a puzzle against the clock, the relaxing pastime often lowers blood pressure and reduces anxiety.
Our recently appointed ‘Minister for Jigsaws’, Sue Riches is putting the benefits of jigsaws into practice with her own jigsaw club, Piece Together. The club was founded to encourage people to socialise whilst keeping their brain active by completing puzzles. Piece Together has accrued a growing library of jigsaws and is extending the club’s jigsaw based services out to local care homes, retirement flats, hospices and drop-in centres allowing more people to enjoy the benefits of adult jigsaws.
The key is picking the right adult jigsaw, and our catalogue includes a huge variety of difficult puzzles for those who want to really push themselves and some which are much simpler to complete. Picking not just a visually impressive but also the right difficulty is key. If you need inspiration, we’ve picked some of our most difficult and most relaxing adult jigsaws to give you an idea:
This is one of our trickier adult jigsaw puzzles, ideal if you are looking for an extra difficult jigsaw challenge. This traditional high quality wooden jigsaw puzzle would make a great gift for any puzzle enthusiast.
Let a wave of relaxation and accomplishment wash over you as you place the last piece in this abstract artwork. From the mountains to the moving waters and stormy skies, this puzzle shares areas of repetitive colour and is made using challenging curly pieces that will test experienced puzzlers.
This blue-hued addition to our extra-difficult puzzle range will make waves as a complex puzzle that is not for the faint-hearted.
Watching the Sunset is one of our best selling jigsaw puzzles for adults. This peaceful puzzle scene can provide hours of relaxing focus and fun.
Nicky Boehme studied Technical art at the Oakland Art Institute in California and proceeded to become the Art Director of several national art agencies.
Nicky's paintings of quaint and quiet coastal scenes are awash with dramatic light and vibrant colours, they make for idyllic, romantic scenes that are perfect for puzzles. The beautiful artwork is complemented by the intricate coastal-themed whimsy pieces featured in this traditional-style jigsaw puzzle.
The Starry Night is one of our most popular puzzles and has been in our collection for many years. Available in seven sizes from 40, 140, 250, 250 large pieces, 500, 1000 and 1500 piece puzzles.
This wooden puzzle for adults is a wonderful way to enjoy a classic artwork in a new way. Explore the details, inspect the pieces and find joy in recreating this masterpiece at home.
