Jigsaw puzzles were invented in the late 18th century by London mapmaker John Spilsbury. Initially developed as an educational tool, jigsaw puzzles have survived two hundred and fifty years of consumer recognition as a hobby unforeseen by their inventor. Puzzles range in piece size from 10 gigantic pieces for little hands up to 20000 pieces for experienced puzzle hobbyists which can take up to a full year to complete.

Almost all jigsaw puzzles are now made of cardboard but some manufacturers still acknowledge those early days and make a few titles (especially for children) from wooden boards. Images are printed onto the surface rather than hand painted as in Spilsburys day. Originally employed as an educational device, world maps would decorate the board, be cut up using a jigsaw into the various countries for instructive assembly by school going youngsters.

Color and shape are the most obvious clues to where a piece goes into the puzzle. This requires both manual dexterity as well as the ability to recognize complementary shapes and surrounding colors. For those whose cognitive powers are not as acute as they once were, it is obvious that jigsaw puzzles are a benefit to hand eye coordination as well as a mental exercise

Obviously there are many ways to stimulate the brain such as reading, crosswords or playing mind teasers such as Sudoku. Card games have the added benefit of socialization as well as deductive reasoning. It has been recently brought to light that physical exercise and diet rather than mental feats alone will help prevent the onset of dementia.

In order to allow seniors an easier option you can now find 500 piece puzzles the same overall size as a 1000 piece puzzle. Completing a puzzle instills a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction requiring the individual to observe, think about and finally execute a set of skills unique to puzzle making. Puzzles can be either solitary pursuits or family activities. As therapy they can be made up in groups with each individual assigned as specific task such as assembling the same color or straight edges.

The four identifiable phases of memory are learning, consolidation, storage and recall. Recall is the key to determining the viability and/or deterioration of the other three stages. If, under competitive circumstances, a healthy puzzle hobbyist can assemble a 1000 piece puzzle in about an hour then there is reason to believe that a senior will benefit by using the skills of learning and consolidation to a relative degree with an overall benefit to recall skills.

It has been said the human brain is the most complex thing in the universe. Chemical studies and subsequent pharmacological discoveries as well as gene therapies hold much promise and even current benefits. Mild therapies such as puzzles are less intrusive and might mitigate the results of memory loss in an aging population.

As individuals we are each made up our unique set of memories. The great fear is that as we age we will lose our ability to remain ourselves. It should be a benign undertaking to encourage those who can to take advantage of the various tools available to keep minds active and prolong the pleasure of a healthy mind and body

Jigsaw puzzles to stimulate the mind
by Richard Stoller

Despite their innocent beginning, jigsaw puzzles, invented in the late 18th century by London mapmaker John Spilsbury, have endured two hundred and fifty years of consumer acceptance as a pastime not entirely anticipated by their inventor. Today puzzles come in multiple piece counts from as few as 10 enormous pieces for young children to assemble on the floor up to 20000 pieces for the most avid puzzle hobbyist that can take up to a year to complete.

Puzzles nowadays are no longer made of wood but of high density cardboard and are die stamped in a massive press to ensure a precision cut and consistent quality. In Spilsburys day they would have been made of hand painted wooden boards which were then cut into pieces with a jigsaw. World maps would have been painted on the board to be put together again in the classroom.

Color and shape are the most obvious clues to where a piece goes into the puzzle. This requires both manual dexterity as well as the ability to recognize complementary shapes and surrounding colors. For those whose cognitive powers are not as acute as they once were, it is obvious that jigsaw puzzles are a benefit to hand eye coordination as well as a mental exercise

As a form of gentle therapy, card games come to mind for their deductive reasoning as well as the added benefit of socialization. Reading, crosswords or playing mind teasers such as Sudoku are all obvious ways to stimulate the brain. In a recent study, it has been shown the best way to avoid the onset of dementia is by exercise and diet and that mental stimulation alone is not enough.

Puzzles though do have their own benefits and require observational, cognitive and motor skills which make the pastime unique not to mention satisfying. As the population ages the puzzle companies have taken to manufacturing puzzles with extra large pieces. Nowadays there are 500 piece puzzles with the same dimensions as a regular 1000 piece puzzle. Such puzzles tend to be more obvious from a visual standpoint with bright colors and more distinctly shaped pieces.

The four identifiable phases of memory are learning, consolidation, storage and recall. Recall is the key to determining the viability and/or deterioration of the other three stages. If, under competitive circumstances, a healthy puzzle hobbyist can assemble a 1000 piece puzzle in about an hour then there is reason to believe that a senior will benefit by using the skills of learning and consolidation to a relative degree with an overall benefit to recall skills.

It has been said the human brain is the most complex thing in the universe. Chemical studies and subsequent pharmacological discoveries as well as gene therapies hold much promise and even current benefits. Mild therapies such as puzzles are less intrusive and might mitigate the results of memory loss in an aging population.

The greatest fear is that we lose our uniquely individual memories and thus our true self. Not much effort would be required of those who can reawaken once healthy skills and prolong the pleasure of a healthy mind and body by simple exercises such as jigsaw puzzles.

jigsaw puzzles for all seasons and for all age groups.