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.
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.
It is this act of recognizing a shape (and color) and inserting the piece into the correct empty space that has been accepted as an aid to those whose cognitive powers are not as acute as they once were. Senior citizens immediately come to mind as obvious beneficiaries of using jigsaw puzzles to re-establish a level of mental dexterity (as well as small motors skills) which are usually lost due to the passage of time.
Exercise and diet as well as mental stimulation have recently been documented as the best methods to avoid the onset of dementia. Pastimes such as reading, mind teasers such as Sudoku or crosswords come to mind as beneficial. Card games have the added benefit of socialization as well as deductive reasoning. Essentially any form of gentle therapy that is fun is to be encouraged.
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.
Learning, consolidation, storage and recall are the four components of memory. Without recall the viability of other three functions cannot easily be observed. All four occur in a specific sequence and the ability to learn depends on the linear flow of information. Many activities (including puzzle making) will stimulate each of the functions. Competitive puzzle hobbyists regularly assemble a 1000 piece puzzle in about an hour. A seniors ability to deny the loss of mental dexterity will be enhanced by practicing a similar skill set.
Promises of chemical discoveries as well as gene therapies appear reassuring and may even offer treatment today. As an attempt to address the problems of the aging brain it may be possible to mitigate the occurrence or severity of a negative episode through the repeated activities such as discussed above. Combined with diet and exercise, mental activities are the sure ways to provide stimulating challenges whose benefits could last decades.
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.
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.
It is this act of recognizing a shape (and color) and inserting the piece into the correct empty space that has been accepted as an aid to those whose cognitive powers are not as acute as they once were. Senior citizens immediately come to mind as obvious beneficiaries of using jigsaw puzzles to re-establish a level of mental dexterity (as well as small motors skills) which are usually lost due to the passage of time.
Exercise and diet as well as mental stimulation have recently been documented as the best methods to avoid the onset of dementia. Pastimes such as reading, mind teasers such as Sudoku or crosswords come to mind as beneficial. Card games have the added benefit of socialization as well as deductive reasoning. Essentially any form of gentle therapy that is fun is to be encouraged.
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.
Learning, consolidation, storage and recall are the four components of memory. Without recall the viability of other three functions cannot easily be observed. All four occur in a specific sequence and the ability to learn depends on the linear flow of information. Many activities (including puzzle making) will stimulate each of the functions. Competitive puzzle hobbyists regularly assemble a 1000 piece puzzle in about an hour. A seniors ability to deny the loss of mental dexterity will be enhanced by practicing a similar skill set.
Promises of chemical discoveries as well as gene therapies appear reassuring and may even offer treatment today. As an attempt to address the problems of the aging brain it may be possible to mitigate the occurrence or severity of a negative episode through the repeated activities such as discussed above. Combined with diet and exercise, mental activities are the sure ways to provide stimulating challenges whose benefits could last decades.
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.
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jigsaw puzzles for all seasons and for all ages.
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