Jigsaw puzzles as a hobby

In short: With a jigsaw puzzle you put a cut-up picture back together piece by piece. The hobby builds patience and concentration and works well alone or with the family.

In more detail: The first jigsaw puzzles appeared in 18th-century England as teaching aids: maps were glued onto wood and sawn along the national borders. Today there are puzzles ranging from a few large pieces for children to many thousands of pieces.

In detail

• The right size: 500 or 1,000 pieces are good for getting started; bigger puzzles need a lot of space and time.
• Choosing a picture: Images with clear areas of colour and detail are easier than sky, water or plain single-colour areas.
• Making space: A sturdy table or a roll-up puzzle mat protects work in progress from cats, children and dust.
• Edges first: Many people start with the edge pieces because their straight side makes them easy to spot.
• Sorting: Pre-sorting pieces by colour, pattern or shape into trays or box lids saves a lot of searching.
• Reading shapes: The tabs and blanks of the pieces help when the colours barely differ.
• Good light: Bright, glare-free light is easier on the eyes and reveals subtle colour differences.
• Finished, what next: You can fix the puzzle with puzzle glue and frame it, or take it apart again, swap it and pass it on.
• Puzzling together: Jigsaws combine well with other brain games, for example at puzzle competitions or game nights (kreuzwortraetsel-und-raetsellogik, brettspiele-fuer-einsteiger).