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Do You Like to do Jigsaw Puzzles? Do your kids?

Ginevra

By Ginevra,
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marbel

marbel

Posted
Posted

 

I love it!   Thanks for posting it.

 

I found a table in the kitchen.  I mean, it wasn't hidden.  But I just have to find space for all the things that are on it.  Random stuff that we use that has no other place.  I am determined.

 

I'm going to start with The Global Puzzle, which we have owned for years.  When that is finished, I can finally get rid of it and move on to something more beautiful.

 

Thanks for the inspiration!

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Pink and Green Mom

Pink and Green Mom

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I like that one, Quill.  I am really picky about my puzzle pictures - there are some themes or genres I just don't like.  I would love to do another really big one but some of the pictures just don't do it for me.

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Guest

Guest

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I've always loved jigsaw puzzles. My kids used to, but not any more. I miss having a place to keep one up. We just don't have the table space and I know if we bought one of those felt mats to keep it on, it would still get shoved aside and not used.

 

When I was in college (as an adult, going at night) I always had a puzzle going. When I would get stuck on some part of writing a paper, I'd go work on the puzzle for a few minutes. it always helped me clear up my thinking.

 

May I say I look forward to the day when my kids are out and I have a place to keep my sewing machine and a jigsaw puzzle available to work on at any time? (Or a bigger house, whichever comes first... betting it's getting the kids out.) :-)

 

(Have not read other responses yet.)

My son works a Rubik's Cube repeatedly while he studies for tests. It is amazing to me that that helps him, but it obviously does!

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Rachel

Rachel

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I bought a couple at Christmas thinking the whole family could work on it together. The first was 750 pieces which was just a little too difficult for the kids (the pieces were tiny!) and they quickly lost interest. My husband couldn't put it down though, he finished it that night. I've known him 20 years and had no clue he would enjoy doing puzzles.

 

We did enjoy working on it together. He's an engineer and had to do the entire border before touching any of the center pieces. I like to start with the border but if I see middle pieces that go together will work on those as I go, it drove him nuts.

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myfunnybunch

myfunnybunch

Posted
Posted

So what do you all do with your finished puzzles.  I was saving mine up with the idea that I might glue some of them.  Finally, I ended up taking pictures and putting them in big ziploc bags.  All those hours of work, but at least I have pictures to prove it.

 

We just put them back in the box. We'll save a puzzle for a couple years, then either re-do it and give it away, or just give it away if we don't want to re-do it.

 

I found the lion puzzle we're working on now on a shelf in the basement. Dd23 and I did that one together when she was 14-15 or so.

 

Impossible puzzles: My sister and my mom put together one called Red Riding Hood's Hood once. YIKES. They asked if I wanted it when they were finished and I said no thanks.

 

Quill, that puzzle is gorgeous!

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Guest

Guest

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Posted

Yes, we love them. However finding a space to leave one set up,is a problem. And then there are the grand toddlers. One our favorite vintage artists is Robert Blair Martin or Bob Martin. They are quite expensive if you fine them on eBay or etsy, but is have found them in second hand shops.

My SIL frequently has one on her kitchen table. I would, but I would rather be sewing. Maybe when those grandkids no longer need me to sew for them. Actually I hope that never happens. I,love sewing for them.

When I was over my MIL's recently, MIL's sister was tediously sorting puzzle pieces. I asked what she was doing and she said on of the grandkids had piled the pieces to several puzzles together on the floor and was scooping them up with the Tonka bulldozer. Oooooops.

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vonfirmath

vonfirmath

Posted
Posted

I'm putting together a beautiful Ravensburger puzzle and I'm just wondering if many people even do this still. Is it dying out among younger people?

 

I remember my parents often having puzzles they worked on for periods of time; my MIL used to do them often as well.

 

How about you and your family?

 

*wry* My kids and I do more puzzles than we did growing up. I think my kids like them more than I do.

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KatieJ

KatieJ

Posted
Posted

When I was over my MIL's recently, MIL's sister was tediously sorting puzzle pieces. I asked what she was doing and she said on of the grandkids had piled the pieces to several puzzles together on the floor and was scooping them up with the Tonka bulldozer. Oooooops.

Oh my. I would have a heart attack. I have a container with 8 or 9'wooden puzzles that were my kids back in the day. All the pieces there. The grands come over and the pieces end up,in places other than that container. I can't figure out why I have managed to keep these puzzles for decades and in just a few years of a certain toddle's life he has managed to spread them everywhere!

Well we did do some reorganizing before and after Christmas as we got new carpets in three rooms. All puzzles pieces are back where they belong.

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KatieJ

KatieJ

Posted
Posted (edited)

I love them, though my eyesight is making them more challenging as I get older.

 

This is one area where I have sort of failed my kids. We don't sit and do puzzles. Maybe I should set one up to do tomorrow on the kids' day off.

I find that if I use my OTT light that I have for sewing and scrapbooking, it helps. Edited by KatieinMich
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J-rap

J-rap

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Off and on I do, and the rest of my family too.  What I've found is we might not be the ones to initiate it, but we'll almost all end up enjoying it.  In the past few years, my father has started one in a public area of their home a couple times a year, and eventually, everyone seems to spend a little time working on it.  They have a big home in a central area so we all end up staying there for a month or two spread out over the year.  I can't tell you the number of times I've passed that table and found one of my children or my dh (or sometimes me :)) there working on it, 15 minutes here, 15 minutes there.

 

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HRAAB

HRAAB

Posted
Posted

 

Oh, I like that one.  It's going in my wishlist.

 

My dd gave me this one

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Bizarre-Bookshop-Jigsaw-1000-Piece/dp/B00DBWAVYY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455496780&sr=8-2&keywords=the+bizarre+bookshop+puzzle

 

The Bizarre Bookshop - with emphasis on bizarre.  It was fun.

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Miss Tick

Miss Tick

Posted
Posted (edited)

I like them a lot, but once I start they are worse than the board here at keeping me from my legitimate work. "Oh, I'll just go out in one piece..."

 

At Christmas we were given one from Liberty puzzles. So, so nice. The pieces are about ¼" thick wood, and many are cut into whimsical human shapes or flowers or birds. Lovely.

 

Here's the link:

http://www.libertypuzzles.com/about

 

ETA - Haha, they actually call then "whimsy" pieces.

Edited by SusanC
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Arcadia

Arcadia

Posted
Posted (edited)

My son works a Rubik's Cube repeatedly while he studies for tests. It is amazing to me that that helps him, but it obviously does!

That kind of puzzles both sides of the family loves. It is like a sensory fidget for us. We all score high on the visual spatial tests except for hubby who has trouble with Ikea and also Legos.

 

It is the patience and the squinting at the smaller size pieces that gets us down. With weaving or knitting, you can easily put it aside into a bag or box to continue another day. Not so for a 500 and more pieces jigsaw puzzles.

Edited by Arcadia
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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

Oh, I like that one. It's going in my wishlist.

 

My dd gave me this one

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Bizarre-Bookshop-Jigsaw-1000-Piece/dp/B00DBWAVYY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455496780&sr=8-2&keywords=the+bizarre+bookshop+puzzle

 

The Bizarre Bookshop - with emphasis on bizarre. It was fun.

Oh I love that! I love all the little weird pictures!

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BooksandBoys

BooksandBoys

Posted
Posted

I adore puzzles. I used to do them all the time before cats and kids. :-)

 

Now that our kids and cats are older, we make it a point to have a big one out at Christmas and when grandparents visit. It's nice to have something to work on together when we have lots of relatives around. DS7 loves the challenge of a 1000 piece with help, or a 500 alone (he's always loved puzzles).

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idnib

idnib

Posted
Posted

Yes, we do puzzles. So do my in-laws, so when they come visit I buy a new one. I really enjoy them, although there's a point in every 500+ piece puzzle when I wonder what the heck I'm doing with my life. ("Wait, take a picture, cut it up, and re-assemble it? Why?!") But I love it anyway.

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

Yes, we do puzzles. So do my in-laws, so when they come visit I buy a new one. I really enjoy them, although there's a point in every 500+ piece puzzle when I wonder what the heck I'm doing with my life. ("Wait, take a picture, cut it up, and re-assemble it? Why?!") But I love it anyway.

I think this last point is a large part of why I haven't done many puzzles in the last several years, even though I enjoy it so much. Also, I was sticking to smaller puzzles so the kids could accomplish them, so I mostly had < 300 piece puzzles around, and many were only 60 or so.

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happi duck

happi duck

Posted
Posted

We just put them back in the box. We'll save a puzzle for a couple years, then either re-do it and give it away, or just give it away if we don't want to re-do it.

 

I found the lion puzzle we're working on now on a shelf in the basement. Dd23 and I did that one together when she was 14-15 or so.

 

Impossible puzzles: My sister and my mom put together one called Red Riding Hood's Hood once. YIKES. They asked if I wanted it when they were finished and I said no thanks.

 

Quill, that puzzle is gorgeous!

My brother had the round red riding hood puzzle back in the 70s!

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Guest

Guest

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Posted

Is puzzle ability always related to visual-spatial processing? Could it be related to a desire to organize things and put them in their place? Or, a desire to problem solve where you feel confident that there is a clear solution?

I think it is the last two things for me. I like to organize things and I like to problem-solve, but only if the problem is challenging but not impossible. Plus there is a lot of internal positive feedback as I find the correct piece and congratulate myself internally - KWIM? To myself I say something like, "I knew I remembered that little corner of red; yay me!" It's like it exercises my already-keen attention to detail and people generally do more of something when they feel they do it well.

 

FTR, I don't think I have good 3-D visual-spatial processing. I am not good at orienting myself in space, and I am not good at physical 3-D puzzles like Rubik's Cube.

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Storygirl

Storygirl

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I actually dislike puzzles. I think it's a visual-spatial issue for me. So I really should do more of them to strengthen that skill.

 

My kids are notorious for scattering bits and pieces of things all around, so I didn't buy puzzles for them after they were too old for the wooden preschool type (we had a lot of those). Now that they are older, we should try one as a family activity.

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theelfqueen

theelfqueen

Posted
Posted

We usually do a couple per year. A lot of them end up glued together, framed and stuck on a wall in our house. :) We do smaller ones with the kids sometimes (500 pcs or so)... It's not out go-to hobby activity but we like them.

 

For those with space concerns -- get a puzzle mat! We like the one with the inflatable end rather than the tube because it takes up almost no space when it's not in use, like this though I think ours is a different brand:

http://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Stow-Go-Puzzle-Accessories/dp/B0006G2P0G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455516085&sr=8-1&keywords=inflatable+puzzle+tube

 

My Future-DIL loves puzzles and my Oldest son (her fiance) hates them LOL

 

 

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Mothersweets

Mothersweets

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Posted

Oh, I like that one.  It's going in my wishlist.

 

My dd gave me this one

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Bizarre-Bookshop-Jigsaw-1000-Piece/dp/B00DBWAVYY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455496780&sr=8-2&keywords=the+bizarre+bookshop+puzzle

 

The Bizarre Bookshop - with emphasis on bizarre.  It was fun.

 

I love this - it just went into my cart. :)

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Liz CA

Liz CA

Posted
Posted

The problem is once they are done - then what? There is not enough wall space to hang them, tearing them apart and putting them back in the box nullifies days or weeks of work and dampens the feeling of accomplishment. I do not have enough flat surfaces to park them...

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myfunnybunch

myfunnybunch

Posted
Posted

I finished my lion puzzle tonight.

 

AUGH! Missing piece!

 

Here's a funny, though....there are still 1000 pieces, but one of the pieces is a duplicate of another piece. Dd and I discovered that when we put it together (brand new, unopened before us) umpteen years ago. I'd forgotten. I so wish I knew how that happened.

 

Liz, do you know someone who likes puzzles? You could leave the puzzle up for a few days then swap puzzles and start a new puzzle, without having to buy one. :)

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Hoot

Hoot

Posted
Posted

I remember my grandmother always having a puzzle out on a folding table when I was at her house. I've never enjoyed doing them though. DS16 had never been a puzzle person either. DH used to do them a few years ago while watching tv, but then we got smart phones and that went out window.

 

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

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OlgaLA

OlgaLA

Posted
Posted

My DD13 loves puzzles. She gets at least one for Christmas and birthdays. Thanks to this thread, I just got her this one. This one was actually her first choice, and their prices were very close when I bought it, but upon careful measurement of her room, she chose "the small one". She is very visual-spacial, and has no organizing tendencies or capabilities outside her puzzle world.  My son, on the other hand can spend a grand total of 2 minutes pretending he is helping, but he likes the rest of his life organized.

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Erica in OR

Erica in OR

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Posted

The problem is once they are done - then what? There is not enough wall space to hang them, tearing them apart and putting them back in the box nullifies days or weeks of work and dampens the feeling of accomplishment. I do not have enough flat surfaces to park them...

 

I take a picture to remember. :) Then if the puzzle is one I feel I might do again, back onto the shelf until the mood strikes. If not, off to the thrift store.

 

Erica in OR

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Guest

Guest

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The problem is once they are done - then what? There is not enough wall space to hang them, tearing them apart and putting them back in the box nullifies days or weeks of work and dampens the feeling of accomplishment. I do not have enough flat surfaces to park them...

This is okay with me though, I guess because puzzling to me is about the journey, not the destination. It's brain exercise and it's enjoyable to me. It is similar to many creative endeavors - why decorate a cake when it just gets eaten? Why plant annuals if they die after one season? Why decorate for Christmas when you only have to pack it up a few weeks later? (admittedly, this one did bother me this past Christmas for some reason. ;))

 

I do have a notion to do a puzzle swap down the road, but I'm not at the moment because I have mostly smaller puzzles for the kids at present.

 

My parents hardly ever bought a new puzzle; they got them all from yard sales or thrift stores or swaps.

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Entropymama

Entropymama

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I love them and my kids humor me. We used to have one going all the time when we had a spare table, but now that table is for school. :) 

 

I bought a 3D puzzle several years ago, but we never got around to making it. It was the capitol building. I sold it on Craigslist to a woman who said she loved the 3D puzzles and had one going all the time. They took her 3-5 years to put together! 

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Jaybee

Jaybee

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Posted

We usually do a couple of 1000 piece ones during the Christmas holidays. We all tend to pitch in on them. Interestingly, my most active, busy son is the one who sits there the longest working on them. I can't help but think it is an excellent activity for him on several levels!

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Calm37

Calm37

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Posted

I have always loved jigsaw puzzles! I started buying the mixed-size pieces puzzles that Springbok was putting out and then "graduated" to their all large pieces as my eyesight deteriorated. I am now hooked on the App "Jigsaw Bug." This app allows irregularly-shaped pieces, which are my favorite, but the options top out at 300 pieces. I make one every day, it seems.

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