Sometimes, a quick-fire board or card game just feels too, well, quick and fiery. Too risky, perhaps. Especially if you’re playing “We’re All Gonna Die” with your nearest and dearest.
It’s at times like this when a quiet, contemplative jigsaw puzzle comes in to save the day and soothe your furrowed brow. You can spend a peaceful hour or two sorting through pieces and, if you’re lucky, putting them into place to solve the puzzle and reveal the amazing work of art that’s been hiding all along.
Many jigsaws have a huge age range on their boxes - it’s not unusual to see these puzzles rated as suitable for ages 9 to 99! This is because anyone can complete a jigsaw puzzle and everyone can benefit from a few hours contemplating pieces, life and the universe.
Doing a jigsaw puzzle can reduce your heart rate and lower your blood pressure if you’re a grown up and it can improve your hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills if you’re not quite so grown up.
Whatever your age, jigsaws can also improve your concentration, your short-term memory and your problem-solving abilities, helping youngsters to gain skills and helping older people to stay young.
Here at Ginger Fox we’re all about staying sharp and improving ourselves, so we’ve gathered together our top ten jigsaw puzzles for you to get to grips with.
Age 5+
Educational
Interactive - can play with friend or carer
80 pieces, 45cm by 31cm
This 80-piece jigsaw puzzle forms a map of the world with cute and exciting animals hiding in the right locations, waiting to be found. It’s a great puzzle for five or six-year-olds as once it’s completed, you’ll see the border also has all the animals marching around it, which makes for a good matching game.
Age 2+
Educational
Interactive - needs a carer to help
20 pieces, 17cm by 17cm
This brightly-coloured animal-themed jigsaw puzzle is ideal for early number skills. The pieces are chunky and easy for little hands to manipulate and your toddler will soon find a favourite critter or two among the collection.
Age 8+
Educational, fun
Great for independent play and puzzle solving
300 pieces
49cm by 36cm
Older children will love putting this jigsaw together to reveal some stunning exotic creatures, including a koala, a llama, a cockatoo, a frog and a pair of striking parrots.
Manufactured to an excellent standard, this puzzle is cut with precision instruments and offers the user “Softclick” technology, which means a gentle click sound when the pieces are connected.
Now the kids are happy, we can turn our attention to the adults! Jigsaws for adults tend to include more pieces - usually 1,000 or so. Ginger Fox adult jigsaw puzzles are also a bit cheeky…
Age 18+
Fun, adult themes, alcohol
One or more participants
1,000 pieces
68cm by 48cm
This Puzzle Cru jigsaw puzzle is all about Italy, its vineyards and its wines. What could be better than solving a puzzle and thinking about beautiful Italian landscapes and all those grapes?
As well as the puzzle, the Wines of Italy box comes along with a double-sided poster and a guide to the different Italian wine regions.
This set is an ideal gift for a wine lover, or an Italophile and you can frame and hang your wine jigsaw once you’ve finished it, before moving onto the Wines of France and Wines of Spain and Portugal puzzles. Salut!
Age 8+
Fun, nostalgia theme
One or more participants
1,000 pieces
68.5cm by 49cm
Take a trip back to the days when Snickers were Marathons and Starbursts were Opal Fruits! This sweet-themed 1,000-piece jigsaw is great for kids to want to find out more about what treats their parents and grandparents enjoyed and for grownups who want to relive their childhood.
The Sweet Memories jigsaw features a colourful and vibrant image which will spark childhood reminiscences and keep puzzlers busy for a good few hours.
Age 8+
Fun, celebrity culture
One or more pawticipants (sorry)
1,000 pieces
68cm by 48cm
If you love cats and you love celeb spotting, then this unique jigsaw puzzle by Ginger Fox is the one for you. As you click the pieces together you’ll reveal a galaxy of stars who are feline (ahem) fine. Spot David Meowie, Jude Paw and Katy Furry, among a cast of many. This jigsaw also looks great framed and on a wall, where it’ll spark a conversation or three.
While some jigsaw puzzles are designed to fill an hour or two, others are, it seems, there to really challenge you and fox you at every turn.
Age 12+
Challenging, expert level
One or more participants
1,000 pieces
66cm by 50cm
If you really want your work cut out for you, then the Impuzzible range of jigsaws will keep you occupied for days.
The range features the Natural Grass option, as well as a Natural Pool, Ice and Baked Beans design, among lots of others. The uniformity of the image is what makes these puzzles so tough, so be prepared for a long haul!
Age 12+
Very challenging
One or more participants
50 to 200 pieces
29cm by 29cm
This is a really tough puzzle and may well keep you going for weeks! Rather than the traditional jigsaw shapes, this puzzle is made from complex geometrical shapes which are laser cut from high-quality wooden veneer.
To help you along (a little), the pieces are stained black on the back - and that’s as much of a hint as you’ll get. The rest is up to you and your sense of determination.
There’s three difficulty levels - medium (50 pieces), hard (100 pieces) and expert (200 pieces) - and each level is best tackled by an older child or an adult.
Age 12+
Challenging, engaging
One or more participants
324 pieces
34cm in height
Designed and created with the latest puzzle tech, this model of one of Paris’ most famous landmarks is for keeps. Once you’ve assembled it, it’ll make an eye-catching addition to your home.
Comprising 324 high-quality plastic pieces, your Notre dame Cathedral model stands 34cm in height and you can either use your eyes to assemble the model or use the numbers (printed on the reverse) as a guide. There’s no need for glue whatsoever and once you’ve mastered the assembly art, you can try your hand at the Tower of London and the Empire State Building.
Age 8+
Arty, beautiful natural theme
One or more participants
1,000 pieces
68cm by 49cm
There are around 60 species of butterfly in the UK, all of them beautiful and many of them are captured here in this jigsaw image.
This jigsaw puzzle is a work of art in itself and the set comes with a printout of the image for you to work from. The puzzle pieces are among the sturdiest and thickest on the market and fit together almost seamlessly, making this jigsaw ideal for framing and displaying once you’ve completed it.
