The word "puzzle" comes from the English puzzle - a riddle, a puzzle. There are several versions of the invention of this entertaining puzzle board game. And, perhaps, no one can say with absolute certainty when and where the first puzzle was first assembled. According to one version, in 1761, the English cartographer John Spilsbury decided to make it easier for children to study geography. He pasted a map of Europe onto a wooden base and sawed it into pieces of various shapes. Collecting a map from pieces, carefully examining its parts, the child memorized geographical names, locations of countries and cities. Moreover, this happened in the process of an exciting lesson, as if by itself. Probably, such training was to the taste of the students. Puzzle cards became very popular, despite the fact that their price was very high. For some time, puzzles were used only as a didactic teaching material. In addition to various geographical maps, they even depicted chronological tables with the dates of the reign of English kings and queens.

Only at the beginning of the 20th century, cut pictures began to be not only educational, but also entertaining. In just a few years, they have become a fashion salon fad. Puzzles were made from expensive types of wood. The pictures depicted various historical and biblical events, portraits, landscapes. Puzzle fragments have not yet been fastened together with the usual "puzzle-locks" for us. Such mosaics were expensive, and only rich people could afford such entertainment.

In 1909, the American B. Parker figured out how to connect puzzle pieces to each other, and created a factory that only made puzzles. The popularity boom of the puzzle came in the 1930s. By this time, manufacturers had learned to make puzzles out of cardboard, which significantly reduced their cost and made them very affordable entertainment. In America, they even organized team competitions for the speedy assembly of puzzles from several thousand elements. But even now interest in the puzzle does not weaken.

What are they needed for?

Traditionally, jigsaw puzzles were considered a jigsaw puzzle for children over 3 years old. But in fact, even one and a half year old kids can already cope with simple puzzles. You just need to choose a picture that is suitable in terms of the number and size of details and show the little smart guy how a single whole is obtained from disparate parts.

Sometimes you can hear the opinion of mothers that puzzles are a useless and unnecessary activity. But this is far from the truth: the puzzle develops the intelligence of the baby in many directions at once, moreover, it is fun and stress-free. First of all, puzzles develop the very visual-figurative thinking that we talked about. And even if a two-year-old toddler still cannot think in whole images, even if a piece of a picture does not differ much for him from a whole, assembled picture, but we want to develop the baby, we strive for him to master the necessary skills in time. So, it's never too early to start playing puzzles. And by the way, it's never too late. Of course, there are many other ways to achieve the development of visual-figurative thinking, offering the child to draw and sculpt, build houses from cubes, lay out mosaic patterns according to the scheme, or assemble various models from designers. But among all these useful and interesting activities, puzzles are far from last.

Collecting a split picture, the child learns to think logically, trains imagination, spatial perception, memory. In order for the picture to turn out, the little creator needs to learn how to turn the image over in his mind, to distinguish elements by color, size, shape. No less important are perseverance, patience, the ability to concentrate, the ability to bring the work begun to the end. And the development of fine motor skills, sensory skills, coordination of movements are generally paramount tasks at an early age, and in this sense, the puzzle can provide an invaluable service to the baby. You yourself will be surprised to notice how, after a short period of playing with the mosaic, the naughty fingers of the crumbs will become more skillful and learn how to perform complex actions.

What are they?

Until quite recently, it was almost impossible to buy a puzzle game for the smallest smart kids. Everything that was offered on our market was not at all for babies due to the large number of parts and their small size. With such puzzles, the crumbs could not cope in any way. And mothers-needlewomen made home-made puzzles for their kids, cutting postcards or pictures pasted on cardboard into 2-4 parts. Now the situation has changed radically. Educational toy stores are full of all kinds of puzzles for all ages. You can find puzzles made of cardboard, wood, foam rubber, foam rubber, flat, voluminous, large, small, puzzle books and puzzle mats. What is suitable for crumbs as the first puzzles?

When choosing a puzzle for a kid, pay attention to the number and size of the elements, the quality of the game, consider the child's sympathy for certain fairy-tale characters or images. The very first puzzles should contain a maximum of 6 fairly large pieces. It's even better if you manage to find a puzzle consisting of only 2-4 pieces. It is better if they are laid out in a frame-tablet. Pay attention to the material from which the game is made. Cardboard should be thick, not bend. There should be no notches on the side cuts of wooden puzzles. Very often, children lose interest in puzzles precisely because of their poor quality. If rough joints do not connect well with each other, this will infuriate not only an impatient baby, but even an adult. Choose a large, bright and understandable drawing, with a minimum of small details, always kind, causing an emotional response in the baby. For very young children, these can be images of toys and animals, for older children - heroes of their favorite cartoons and fairy tales, cars and other stories that are interesting to them. It would be great to go shopping for a new game with your baby. Let him choose what he likes.

When the baby will easily cope with simple puzzles, increase the number of elements, complicate the drawing. By the age of 2.5-3, many children, with whom they began to collect split pictures early, easily assemble puzzles of 24 or more elements ...

And there are also puzzles on which the pictures are not simple, but educational. Modern manufacturers seem to be returning to the original idea of ​​the cognition of this puzzle. For grown-up smarties and smarties there are puzzles with maps of the world and continents, alphabet and counting. Little astronomy lovers will be delighted with puzzles with planets and constellations, young biologists will be happy to collect pictures and study living creatures of the forest, sea, pond, memorize animals from different continents, learn the structure of their own body. There are many games for toddlers based on puzzle technology. In them, you need to select houses for animals, find mothers for the cubs, match colors, geometric shapes, etc. All this diversity turns puzzles from simple fun into a wonderful educational tool.

Learning to play

Puzzles are not a toy that a small child can master on their own. If you don’t teach him the basics, don’t show him how to pick up and connect the pieces together, then after five minutes of unsuccessful attempts, the baby will abandon the game and is unlikely to want to return to it in the near future. Therefore, be patient, treat the baby with understanding, do not expect or demand quick results from him, but just play with him and sincerely rejoice even in the smallest victories. Once again I will make a reservation that we are talking about 1.5-3-year-old babies. If you first offered a puzzle game to an older child, then he will most likely be able to figure it out on his own.

Start with the simplest. First, assemble the picture yourself in front of the baby, commenting on your actions along the way. Then look at the image together with the baby, pay attention to the details, come up with a little fairy tale from the picture, coloring it with positive emotions. This will additionally draw the attention of the crumbs to the game and will contribute to the development of speech. And now you can start learning. Take out 1-2 fragments from the collected picture, put them side by side and invite the child to find the place where they stood. If he is at a loss, tell him. For example: "Look, the dog's ear is missing! The dog is crying. Let's help her, find the ear and put it in its place!" When the desired fragment is found, show the baby how to properly rotate and connect the pieces together. Let him hold the fragment in the pen, and you help him with your hand, first connecting the convex part with the hole, and then lowering the entire fragment into place. This important point cannot be overlooked. Without learning to connect the elements, the baby will not be able to move on. Practice a little and the skill will be mastered. At first, you can pick up puzzles without fastening "locks", but for the development of fine motor skills, it is the classic mosaics that are good. In addition, it is difficult for naughty children's fingers to accurately combine pieces of puzzles that are not fastened together. Slightly shifted a fragment - and the picture no longer matches. A few such failures, and the desire to mess with puzzles will disappear for a long time.

When your son or daughter will confidently cope with the task, offer to collect the whole picture. Help the baby in case of difficulty. He should feel that he is succeeding, he should hear your praise and approval ("Hurrah! Well done!"). It does not matter if, having learned the assembly order by heart, the child collects the same picture several times in a row. This is very important for his self-esteem, gives a sense of self-confidence. After all, it is so important for a baby to feel dexterous and skillful. And besides this, the baby develops memory, remembering the location of certain pieces.
Improving the skill

The baby grows up - the games become more complicated. And now more complex puzzles appear in the child's toy arsenal. The number of parts is growing, their size is decreasing. It happens that when easily coping with large "baby" puzzles, when playing with more complex puzzles, the child is lost, he can not put together a picture. In this case, it makes sense to come to his aid again. But only quite a bit. An older child assembles puzzles a little differently than a tiny toddler. If the baby, picking up pieces of the mosaic, focuses more on the geometry of these same pieces, then for an older child, the picture is paramount. He selects the elements of the puzzles not according to the shape of the ledge, but looks for the missing parts of the image on the fragments. Collecting a split picture, everyone chooses his own way. You can give your baby a few options and let him choose what is more convenient for him, or invent his own way.

First of all, it is convenient to turn all the pieces "face" up. Then draw the attention of the baby to the corner fragments. You can start collecting a picture from them by laying out a frame first. If there are a lot of elements, it makes sense to arrange them into piles by shades (for example, separately everything where there is a sky, separately - with green grass, etc.). Then you will have to look for the desired piece in your group, and not in all fragments, which is much easier. Often kids like to collect the central figures of the picture. For them it is both easier and more interesting. Nothing, it’s also possible: to collect several fragments separately, and then connect everything together.
And if he doesn't want to?

It happens that you gave your baby puzzles for the first time, and he refuses to play with a new toy, scatters the fragments, or is not at all interested in them. You should not be upset, Postpone the game for a while, and then try again to interest the baby in it. It doesn't matter that the girl next door has been collecting complex pictures for a long time, and your restless toddler is only enough to pour the pieces of the puzzle out of the box. All babies are different. One can do painstaking work for a very long time, draw, sculpt, and the other will not sit still for a minute. Perhaps the time for puzzles will come a little later for you. After all, the main thing here is not the result, but the pleasure that the baby receives from creation.

Try to collect split pictures in front of the baby. He will be interested in what mom is doing, and, perhaps, will begin to help you. You can support his interest by asking: “Oh, I don’t know how to collect this! Maybe you can teach me?” Or: "I don't even know what piece to put here! Maybe you can tell me?" It happens that the kids do not want to collect puzzles on their own, but with mom or dad they do it with pleasure.

Also good! Distribute "duties". Let's say the kid collects the Winnie the Pooh figurine, and the mother collects the sky and the trunk of a tree. Then we connect everything together.

If you buy two identical boxes with puzzles, you can even arrange a competition: who will assemble the picture faster - dad or mom along with the baby. Or maybe your little one is already so good with these colorful pieces that he himself will compete with any adult?

Perhaps the kid will like the idea of ​​​​not just assembling a puzzle, but turning it into a picture that can be used to decorate a nursery or give it to a grandmother. To do this, the assembled puzzle is glued onto cardboard or plywood of a suitable size and varnished on top. You can add a homemade frame, That's it, the masterpiece is ready!

It happens that after a period of active passion for puzzles, a child abandons them for many months. Periodically interest flashes and fades again. And this is also quite normal. After all, we ourselves sometimes "light up" with some business, and then "cool down" to it. And further. It happens that a child refuses to collect puzzles at all, and does not want to collect this particular picture. Well, she's not interested in him, and that's it! And here is another, interesting - with pleasure! For example, a kid may remain indifferent to the illustration from the fairy tale "Bambi" with cute and cute little animals offered by his mother, but he will be completely delighted with the picture with dinosaurs, cars or space. Be sure to take this into account.

If, nevertheless, none of your efforts and tricks were crowned with success and the baby did not want to collect puzzles - and this is not a reason to be upset. Do not forget that your child is an individual, an individual. And he has every right to love something, but not something. There are a lot of adults in the world who can't stand puzzles. Why, then, absolutely all the little ones should love them? So, for your crumbs, you will certainly find another useful activity that he will like.

And remember that puzzles for a baby are not only an educational and entertaining activity. This is also a great opportunity to chat and play with your beloved mom and dad. The kid will grow up, the pictures he collects will become more difficult. And, perhaps, one day, on a rainy weekend, your whole family will conjure over countless scattering of colorful pieces, creating a common masterpiece...

used materials of the magazine "MAMA and BABY" 11.2007

In the puzzle assembly window, clicking once on a puzzle piece will rotate it 90 degrees clockwise. Moving the mouse while holding down the left key will cause the puzzle piece to move. When two matching pieces of the puzzle come close, they will unite, but they cannot connect incorrectly. When you exit the puzzle window, the location of all its pieces will be saved.

When you click on the "My puzzles" button (located in the lower left corner, looks like a seal) you will see a list of all the puzzle pieces. The ones you don't have yet will be transparent. To find out the number of a piece, you need to move the mouse cursor over it. The numbers next to the pieces reflect their number. You can add a puzzle piece to your wishlist by clicking on the scroll button, or give it to a friend by clicking on the gift button. You can't donate random pieces.

Story puzzles drop out in the rooms of the house, except for the 24th piece (the conditions for obtaining them are described in the post below), promotional puzzles can only be found during the action of a special amulet.

LAYOUT OF THE "TRAP" PUZZLE (Season 3) BY ROOMS

Kitchen, Nursery: very frequent - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Living room, Library: frequent - 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Basement, Attic: rare - 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Entrance hall, Cinema: rare - 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Bedroom, Study: very frequent - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 frequent - 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Winter Garden, Lair: rare - 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Darkroom, Indian: very common - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 common - 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 rare - 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 , 22, 23

STAR PUZZLES

Star puzzles are assembled using the appropriate amulets. These puzzles can be collected several times - with each collection a star is added, and the more stars, the higher the reward (this can be seen in the description that pops up when hovering over the puzzle miniature). After receiving the reward, the special puzzle will be disassembled again.

But with each star, the puzzle becomes more difficult and requires more pieces to complete. This does not mean at all that new numbers of pieces will appear in the rooms: you will receive a new piece of the puzzle from the already existing repeated ones. To do this, click on "Combine" at the bottom of the window, and you will get a new piece. For example, for the second assembly of the puzzle for one new piece, two repetitions are required. The number in the merge section indicates how many repetitions you have, so if the number "1" is indicated there, then one more piece will not be enough to merge. Please note that after merging, repeated pieces disappear from the "My Puzzles" tab - this is not an error.

Amulets for the star puzzles of the Mansion, Jenny, Jim, Jack, Tigress, Dragon, Puppeteer, Phantom Maiden can be obtained from the box of star puzzles (drops in the rooms of the house). Amulets of the Investigator, the Fiery Maiden, the Elder at the moment can only be bought.

Layout of special puzzles by room:

Mansion - kitchen, living room, basement, hallway, photo lab, bathroom, garage, abandoned, cellar

Jenny - kitchen

Jim - living room

Jack - basement

Tigress - hallway

Dragon in the bathroom - children's

Puppeteer - library, attic, cinema

Investigator - basement

Fire Maiden - hallway

Senior - attic

Phantom Maiden - kitchen

Druid - Japanese

LAYOUT OF PROMOTIONAL PUZZLES BY ROOMS:

The scheme in the picture below works for all promotional and zodiac puzzles.

The decoding of the symbols is below.

All pieces of promotional and zodiac puzzles fall according to this pattern.

  • - only pieces of the puzzles "Christmas Warmth", "Christmas Surprise", "Still a Puppet", "Ophiuchus", "Pisces", "Unresolved Argument", "Thief", "Once Upon a Fire", "Summer Weaving", " Holiday Holi”, “The door to India”, “Our hour will strike”, “First puzzle of the Summer Solstice”, “Second puzzle of the Summer Solstice”, “Third puzzle of the Summer Solstice”, “Lion”, “Alien holiday”, “Virgo”, Hops, Replacement, Oktoberfest, Libra, Friendly Ghost, Sticky Horror, Nightmare Mistress, Treat, Memento.
    • - only pieces of the puzzles "Christmas Warmth", "Christmas Surprise", "Still a Puppet", "The Thief", "Once Upon a Campfire", "Summer Weaving", "First Summer Solstice Puzzle", "Second Summer Solstice Puzzle" drop out, Summer Solstice Jigsaw Three, Leo, Alien Holiday, Virgo, Hops, Replacement, Oktoberfest, Libra, Friendly Ghost, Sticky Horror, Mistress of Nightmares ”, “Treat”, “For memory”.

Eye - a list of drop-down pieces can be found at the entrance to the room.

HOW TO GET ROOM 24 PUZZLE PIECE

All pieces #24 from the main (story) rooms can only be obtained for tasks.

The 24th Kitchen puzzle is given for the Housewarming quest (chain "Jenny. Rats").

The 24th puzzle of the Living Room is given for the Album with Butterflies quest (chain "Jenny. Butterflies").

The 24th puzzle of the Cellar is given for the Second Key quest (chain "Puppeteer. Jigsaw Puzzles") and for the quest "Master Breaker" (chain "Natalie and Lancelot. Acquaintance").

The 24th puzzle of the Hallway is given for the Third Key quest (chain "Puppeteer. Puzzles").

The 24th puzzle of the Children's room is given for the quest The Fourth Key (chain "Puppeteer. Puzzles").

24th puzzle Libraries give for the quest the Fifth key ("Puppeteer. Puzzles" chain).

The 24th puzzle of the Attic is given for the quest A seance (the "Ten. Esoteric" chain, for collection No. 1.22).

The 24th puzzle of the Cinema is given for the quest Pack up the finds (chain "Jenny. Cinema", for collection No. 1.28).

The 24th bedroom puzzle is given for the quest Discharge the trap (chain "Ryan. Trap", for collection No. 2.20).

The 24th puzzle of the Winter Garden is given for the quest A Strange Riddle (chain "Ryan. Shocker", for collection No. 2.39).

The 24th puzzle of the Cabinet is given for the quest Everything according to plan (chain "Matt. Against the rules").

The 24th puzzle of the Well is given for the quest Invitation of the Maiden (the "Dead Water" chain, for collection No. 2.2).

The 24th Oak puzzle is given for the quest Harp from the other side (chain "Celtic harp", for collection No. 2.3).

The 24th puzzle Crypts are given for the Control Panel quest (chain "Ryan. Unknown device", for collection No. 2.9).

The 24th puzzle of the Circle of Stones is given for the quest The life of an old man (chain "Arlen. A gift to the gods", for collection No. 2.17).

The 24th puzzle of the Boudoir is given for the quest Life of the Virgin (chain "Ten. Damned", for collection No. 2.29).

The 24th puzzle of the Salon is given for the quest Death of the Maiden (chain "Ten. Evil words", for collection No. 2.32).

The 24th puzzle of the Closet is given for Rutin's quest (chain "Leonard. The beginning of the end", for collection No. 2.42).

The 24th puzzle of Marie's Bedroom is given for the Fire quest (chain "Leonard. Fire").

The 24th puzzle of the Dining Room is given for the quest Divination with a mirror (chain "Marie. Christmas", for collection No. 3.14).

The 24th puzzle of the Lair is given for the quest Merging (the first chain of the fourth season).

The 24th puzzle of the Photo Lab is given for the quest "Silent reproaches" (chain 4.6). You can also purchase this piece in the store.

The 24th puzzle of the Garage is given for the quest "Try not torturing" (chain 4.7). You can also purchase this piece in the store.

The 24th bathroom puzzle is given for the quest "Following the shooting" (chain 4.11). You can also purchase this piece in the store.

Pieces #24 from the Loggia, the Abandoned and the Cellar can be found in the rooms themselves.

The 24th puzzle of the Indian drops in the Indian when the task "Gentleman's Secret" is active. This is a very rare piece of the puzzle, so you'll need a Pro room skill level or higher to find it. You can also purchase this piece in the store.

They are being made a lot now, they are soft, it's great to play with them in the bathroom, they are all developing themselves ... Yes, everything is fine! But few people know that such puzzles have many more uses.

I will make a reservation - for our purposes we need a fairly thick puzzle, at least 1 centimeter thick. I once bought such a set, tried to build from it, it turned out to be a wonderful soft and large cube. I wanted more - and I bought a few more sets. Then, unfortunately, they stopped selling them, I didn’t find them on the net either, otherwise I would probably have bought the entire batch. They have a very wide scope.

So if anyone recognizes our puzzles, please let me know. Children have grown up, but puzzles can still be used.

So, twenty ways to use soft puzzles (subject to the purchase of several sets, we have 30 squares):

1. in fact, as they intended - like a puzzle.
2. another standard use case - you can make a soft rug - it is large and warm, it is convenient to play on a cold floor

3. you can find identical drawings, sort puzzles by color and collect figures of the same color from them

4. having put cubes out of them, you can use them as chests - and here, too, there are a lot of application options: “pirate chest”, “find where the toy is hidden”, etc.


5. the actual cubes - they are large, light, bright. From cubes you can build a wall, a tower, and so on.

6. if you build carefully, you can fold just a huge tower - its height is simply amazing for children

7. the same tower easily turns into a slide-tunnel along which cars drive

8. cubes without one side - houses, garages and more. You can also make windows, doors, etc. there.

9. you can build one large garage with several races and tunnels

10. you can make a track out of squares - cars can drive along it, but best of all, when the children themselves drive, they love it. You can put obstacles on the road, all from the same squares folded by the house, make breaks

11. you can take a big trip through the swamp, using the squares of the puzzle as "bumps". Children can throw them in front of them and jump from bump to bump. You can come up with a whole quest, come somewhere, get a treasure, fight the villain and come back. And all without leaving the room 😉

12. you can build a bridge - cars will pass through it, dolls will pass and the children themselves will crawl through - only O-very carefully, otherwise it can be broken. Children like

13. turning the bridge over, we get the first version of the fortress, with towers

14. you can build a fortress wall, what's inside - at your discretion
15. A “crib”, “boat”, etc. is built according to the same principle.

16. You can build a tunnel through which cars can drive, or children themselves can.

17. you can build a big labyrinth if you make only walls, without a floor - it’s so fragile, but the labyrinth will come out big

18. you can build a high chair (if you make the seat longer - then a bed) for dolls. With some care, children can sit there themselves. And when they push a hole in the middle, announce that you have a pot - a sea of ​​\u200b\u200bjoy is provided!

19. squares simply stacked on top of each other and fastened together can form a ladder or log for walking.

20. you can build a wall. Children love to hide behind her. It is not very strong, but all the more fun. With two boys, you can arrange a small war by building two walls lower




I always wanted to tell manufacturers about all these game options - let them put descriptions of game options into their toys. But you can also tell - let as many mothers as possible know that such puzzles are just a treasure.

Ideas for exciting family leisure activities are appreciated at any time of the year. Puzzles are a great alternative to TV and video games, because collecting them is not only interesting, but also useful for developing fine motor skills and logical thinking. If you're new to the world of colorful puzzles (or if your building strategies aren't working the way you want them to and you're looking for fresh hacks), this article will help you figure out how to put together puzzles correctly and quickly. Very soon you will learn how to deal with pictures of any complexity, like a real pro!

Before you start to collect the puzzle, you must select it. If this hobby is still new to you, do not immediately be tempted by huge puzzles of two or three thousand pieces. It's best to start with 500 pieces: by realistically evaluating your skills, you increase the chances that the puzzle will not remain gathering dust in the box in a semi-assembled state. With a little practice, over time, you can easily move to a more advanced level of difficulty.

The number of puzzle pieces also depends on how much time you are willing to devote to this activity. When choosing a picture, give preference to topics that are interesting to everyone who will participate in its assembly. If the image is not to your liking, it is likely that very soon you will lose any motivation to get the final result in the form of a finished puzzle.

By the way, what are you going to do with the completed puzzle? After all, it can not only be folded back into the box, but also hung on the wall in a beautiful frame. The latter involves pre-gluing, so you should be careful in choosing the surface on which you will glue. In order not to stain the table with sticky glue, you can cover it with a piece of cardboard or waxed paper. Make sure that the size of the lining matches the size of the assembled puzzle (information about the dimensions of the puzzle can be found on the box).

An equally important role is played by the choice of workspace, because the passion for puzzles requires a lot of space. This moment is characterized by several important nuances:

  • work surfaces that have a different function (such as a dining table in the kitchen) will only work if you use a puzzle mat or other portable surface. If necessary, such foresight will allow you to conveniently move the puzzle in order to urgently free up space;
  • to avoid clutter, you can store items in plastic bags or containers. This organization ensures that no part is lost during the assembly process;
  • the working surface area should not only accommodate the assembled puzzle, but also provide additional space for assembling individual elements of the picture.

General puzzle assembly scheme

Of course, each puzzle requires an individual approach. Nevertheless, there are 5 universal (and most importantly, effective) strategies:

  1. finding and assembling parts with smooth edges. Having assembled the frame, you will get a limited space and an approximate understanding of where to go next;
  2. flipping all elements face up. This, at first glance, a tedious task at times simplifies the assembly of puzzles. Seeing all the fragments in front of you, you are much faster oriented in the shades and shapes of the details, which, in turn, greatly speeds up the process;
  3. sorting by color. For most puzzles, this is a great move, since distinguishing the shades that belong to a particular area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe image is often quite simple. It is much more difficult to cope with "impossible" puzzles (English impossible), where the picture is a repeating pattern of the same color. But even there you can try to separate the shades that appear less often. Everything that cannot be determined the first time, pour into a pile, to which you will return when you have exhausted all the main color fragments;
  4. sorting by shape. Each manufacturer is characterized by its own type of cutting: from the classic rectangular with protrusions and depressions to round or triangular with wavy edges. The more diverse the details, the easier it is to assemble the puzzle;
  5. special details. Some elements are part of the most visible parts of the image (for example, inscriptions or the only repeating color motif). Try to immediately separate them from the rest of the details: the more such “islands” you have, the easier it will be to put the puzzle together later.

Particulars

Don't try to cover the whole puzzle at once: it's much more efficient to break it down into smaller sections. Visual progress will motivate you to keep collecting the picture.

Place the finished sections in the approximate locations near the frame, even if they are not yet connected to it. Visualizing the space will make it easier to find other missing elements.

If you are tired or tired of the puzzle, take a break. After a while, with a fresh eye, you can easily notice everything that you missed!

Assembly of small puzzles 160 - 500 elements

A small amount of detail allows you to experiment with the complexity of the image. The scheme for assembling such a puzzle depends on its color scheme and the method of cutting.

Assembly of medium puzzles 1000/1500/2000 pieces of parts

Having stuffed your hand in small pictures, you can proceed to the assembly of "thousanders". Assemble the frame to understand the actual dimensions of the puzzle. Then try to add up all the bright parts of the image, and only then move on to the background.

How to correctly assemble large puzzles 3000, 4000 and more

How to correctly and quickly assemble puzzles consisting of many parts? Multi-thousand puzzles most often consist of a pair of packets with an equal number of pieces. Moreover, for many manufacturers, one vertical part is identical to the second, turned 180 degrees. Knowing this, you can peep at the already assembled half and mechanically look for the desired element.

How to solve glowing puzzles

The assembly of fluorescent puzzles does not differ in any special tricks. Follow the general scheme and as a bonus you will get a picture that will glow in the dark.


Assembly Features of Castorland Puzzle

If you take the assembled Castorland puzzles with different patterns but the same number of pieces, and put one on top of the other, the shape of the elements of the lower and upper puzzles will be identical (because the company uses the same cutters). Thus, Castorland fans can draw themselves a real cheat sheet for assembling a puzzle for any number of parts.

How to assemble a puzzle without a picture

This kind of entertainment is not for the faint of heart. You will have to use all possible techniques and techniques: a frame, sorting by color and shape, as well as choosing special elements. And yes, be patient!

Assembling a wooden puzzle

Wooden puzzles are distinguished by creative cutting, so it is easiest to assemble them, focusing on the shape of the parts. The 3D model of wooden puzzles resembles a constructor and requires instructions. Depending on the manufacturer, glue-paints may be needed for it (most often they are included).

Puzzle pictures and their assembly

A special challenge is puzzles in the form of photographs of paintings by famous artists. The hardest thing to collect landscapes and works of the Impressionists. Distinguishing the shades of oil paint strokes on the details is very difficult, so special attention should be paid to lighting the workspace. The most inconspicuous touch in fact can be a bright element of the picture.

Assembling a one-color puzzle

A one-color puzzle should begin with the assembly of the edging. Having correctly sorted the elements of different shapes, proceed to the schematic selection of elements, starting from any edge.

How to teach a child to assemble puzzles

You can teach your kid how to solve logic puzzles from a very young age. You should start with puzzles made of wood or soft materials, gradually moving on to classic variations. If the child collects incorrectly, help him, and when he starts to succeed, limit yourself to verbal prompts. To arouse interest, choose colorful drawings with the characters of your favorite animated series. Don't forget to praise your baby!

Collecting puzzles (from the English word puzzle - a puzzle, a riddle, a mosaic) is an interesting game, during which you need to assemble a single picture from several parts. Puzzles are popular with both children and adults, which is why they have been popular for many years. In addition, puzzles for children are not only entertainment, but also a useful activity. The mere fact that they develop fine motor skills that affect the speech center is a serious reason to introduce the child to this game. In today's article, we will tell you about what puzzles are and how to choose them.

Benefits of jigsaw puzzles for children

Puzzles are useful for the comprehensive development of the child, because thanks to this simple game:

  • visual perception, visual-motor coordination is improved;
  • develops the ability to correlate part and whole;
  • improves memory, concentration;
  • the child learns to organize and build a strategy for the folding process, developing logic and imaginative thinking;
  • puzzles are a wonderful simulator for the development of fine motor skills;
  • painstaking work develops patience, perseverance, diligence and perseverance.

A correctly chosen puzzle is an educational game that brings joy and satisfaction, and too complex or simple, on the contrary, causes disappointment in the child.

At what age do children collect puzzles?

Usually even the simplest multi-piece puzzles are labeled as “3+”. It is assumed that 3 years is the best age for the first acquaintance with this exciting game. Indeed, the manipulation of cardboard puzzle pieces is much more difficult than playing with voluminous toys, which are more suitable for toddlers. However, a child's fine motor skills do not develop overnight, so you can try to play with puzzles even before 3 years.

At 1.5-2 years old, the baby can be offered the simplest puzzle of 2-3 elements:

At 2-3 years old, the baby will be able to assemble a picture from 4-6 parts:

At 3-4 years old, puzzles of 6-12 pieces are optimal (for experienced puzzle lovers - up to 20):

Children 4-5 years old cope with puzzles of 20-40 elements (experienced - up to 60):

A child of 6-8 years old should buy puzzles of at least 60 pieces:

In any case, when buying a puzzle, it is worth focusing on the capabilities of a particular child: does he have experience in assembling this puzzle, is he able to put together so many elements and, on the other hand, will the chosen game not seem too simple and boring to the child, although the marking and is age appropriate.

Puzzle types

In order not to get confused when choosing a puzzle for a child, you first need to know what types of puzzles exist and by what criteria they can be classified.

1. Adult and children's puzzles . Let's start with the fact that all puzzles can be divided into adults and children. Puzzles for children usually contain from 2 to 260 pieces. Castorland labels 500-piece puzzles as 9+, while Step Puzzle recommends its 560-piece puzzles for children aged 7 and over, but in general they can be classified as adults in terms of complexity. Puzzles for children are usually a bright, contrasting, clear picture with fairly large details (the younger the age, the larger their size). Characters of a children's puzzle are usually cartoon characters, fairy-tale characters, animals. Drawings on adult puzzles are much more intricate and difficult to collect - usually landscapes, photographs of animals, fantastic scenes. Thus, it is necessary to buy a puzzle for a child, first of all, guided by his age. Even if your three-year-old loves kittens, it won't help him put together a 500-piece kitten puzzle.

2. Puzzles with different number of elements . The number of elements is the main characteristic of any puzzle, which determines its complexity. Conventionally, all puzzles can be divided into simple, medium and complex. Simple puzzles contain from 2 to 54 elements; puzzles of medium complexity - from 80 to 1000 elements; complex - more than 1000 elements.

3. Puzzles with large, medium and small pieces . The larger the puzzle pieces, the easier it is to assemble. Therefore, puzzles for kids consist of large elements that are easy to grab for a small hand.

4. Puzzles with pieces of various shapes . The traditional, well-known one is a rectangle with bulges and depressions for gripping parts. But there are also puzzles with triangular, trapezoidal, polygonal elements, as well as elements of a curvilinear shape.

5. Puzzles made of cardboard, plastic, wood, foam rubber ("soft" puzzles), magnetic . Cardboard puzzles are the most common, primarily because of the most affordable price. Plastic puzzles are stronger, more durable, therefore more expensive - however, there may be problems with the adhesion of parts (too strong, therefore, the puzzle is one time, or, on the contrary, not strong). Wooden puzzles are most often bought for children, as they have large enough parts that are easy to grip. Soft puzzles are especially suitable for playing in the bathroom because they do not get wet. In addition, they are usually inexpensive. Magnetic puzzles have soft vinyl pieces that are attracted to metal surfaces.

6. Flat and three-dimensional puzzles . Flat puzzles are the most familiar and common. The picture of a flat puzzle can be either rectangular or round, oval, square, etc. Three-dimensional puzzles are three-dimensional objects: balls, ships, cars, etc.

7. Table and floor puzzles . For most of us, puzzles are associated with a board game. However, there are also floor options - these are foam rubber puzzle mats, large plastic or wooden puzzles. They are bought for the smallest, for decorative purposes or as orthopedic rugs.

How to choose puzzles for a child?

Shops are full of a huge assortment of puzzles for every taste and budget. How to choose the one that is right for your child?

The parameters that you should pay attention to when choosing puzzles are as follows:

  • the number and size of elements (here you need to take into account the age and experience of the child in collecting puzzles);
  • the complexity of the picture, its color differentiation;
  • the visual appeal of the image to the child;
  • puzzle quality (cardboard thickness and strength);
  • the presence of factors that simplify the assembly of the puzzle - a contour frame, an image of the assembled puzzle, an image-base on which the assembly takes place.

It is better to choose puzzles together with the child. Surely he will give preference to the image of his favorite character or plot from a fairy tale. Your task is to take into account the age of the baby and offer him those puzzles (in terms of complexity), the assembly of which will correspond to the zone of his proximal development. Recall the age norms given above:

If a child only gets acquainted with puzzles at the age of 3, a simple version of 4 parts will be quite enough. Some experienced three-year-old puzzle collectors are fine with 20-piece puzzles. Consider the possibilities of your child - then the puzzle will bring him both benefit and joy.

As for puzzle manufacturers, the quality of products, as well as prices, vary greatly. Below are brief characteristics of the puzzles of the most famous companies on the Russian market.

Puzzles Castorland (Labyrinth, Ozone, my-shop)

Castorland is a popular Polish brand that produces traditional cardboard puzzles in various sizes. Customers often remain loyal to Castorland due to their precise cuts and quality materials. These puzzles have a good price-quality ratio.

Puzzles Step- Puzzle (Labyrinth, Ozone, my-shop)

Step-puzzle produces most of the Russian puzzles. An important advantage of these puzzles for many buyers is their low price. The quality of the goods varies, so when buying through online stores, it is better to look at reviews on the selected options.

Puzzles Larsen (Ozone, my-shop)

Puzzles of the Norwegian brand Larsen have a lot of fans for a reason - their parts are made of thick three-layer cardboard and are not subject to deformation. The pictures on the puzzles are bright, colorful and very popular with children. Larsen puzzles are not cheap, but given the really high quality, their price is justified.

Puzzles Trefl (Labyrinth, Ozone, my-shop)

Trefl is another Polish puzzle brand. The parts have a clear and even cut, fit perfectly. Trefl are not inferior in quality to more expensive puzzles.

Puzzles Ravensburger (Labyrinth, Ozone, my-shop)

Judging by customer reviews, puzzles from the German company Ravensburger are among the best in quality. Strong coupling of dense parts, unusually beautiful graphics are the undeniable advantages of these puzzles. The main disadvantage is their high price.

Puzzles Clementoni (Labyrinth, Ozone, my-shop)

Italian Clementoni puzzles are not very common in Russia, despite their high quality. The bright printing of these puzzles will definitely not leave children indifferent.

Puzzles Djeco (Ozone, my-shop)

The French company Djeco produces not just puzzles, but unusual games for children of different ages. Traditional cardboard, wooden, multi-layered, puzzles with tactile inserts, giant puzzles - these and other options for your favorite puzzle are offered by Djeco.

Puzzles Educa (