Puzzles

Picking a puzzle for the person you have in mind

When you are buying for a child, start with the child rather than the puzzle. Think about what holds their attention, how long they happily sit with one thing, and whether they like to work alone or with someone beside them. A child who loves sorting and matching will often settle into a puzzle for longer than you might expect, and a good one comes out again and again on wet weekends.

Our puzzles are not only for children: you will also find a few for teenagers and a few that make a good gift for him. For either, a puzzle is an evening away from a screen rather than one more thing to find a shelf for.

What our puzzles are made of

Card, the traditional material for a jigsaw, is what many of our puzzles are made from. You will also find some in plastic, a few in metal and a few wooden puzzles. Wooden pieces are usually thicker than card ones and stand up well to being handled over and over, while plastic copes with sticky fingers far better than card can. If the puzzle is going to a child who is hard on their things, the material is worth a thought.

How to start a jigsaw puzzle

Some of our puzzles are jigsaws, and a little method makes doing one more fun. Clear a flat surface with room to spare, tip out the pieces and turn them picture side up. Pick out the edge pieces, the ones with a straight side, and build the frame first, starting from the corners. Then sort the rest into small piles by colour or pattern and work in from the edges, keeping the finished picture in view as your guide.

With a child, share the work: one of you hunts for edges while the other gathers pieces of one colour. Stop while it is still fun and leave the rest for another day; coming back to a half-built picture is part of the pleasure.

Fewer pieces or more, and where to lay it out

The number of pieces decides how long a puzzle takes and how hard it feels. Fewer, larger pieces suit a first puzzle and a short sitting, and give a quick sense of achievement. More pieces make a longer project that may run over several evenings, so think about where it will live in the meantime: a spare table, a large tray or a board you can lift out of the way. For a child, a puzzle they can finish in one sitting is usually a better start than one that stalls halfway.

Giving a puzzle at Christmas or at a party

Some of our puzzles are made for Christmas, and a puzzle is one of the easier presents to get right. It gives people something to gather round once the wrapping paper has been cleared away, and a puzzle left out on the dining table can soon become part of how you spend the quiet days that follow.

A few of our puzzles are made for parties, and you will also find a few mini puzzles that make an easy stocking filler or party bag treat. Where a puzzle is assorted, as a few of ours are, it is sent in a design chosen at random, so we cannot promise a particular one.

Looking after the pieces

Card and paper need the gentlest care, so keep a card puzzle dry, away from damp rooms and out of strong sun: damp can curl the pieces and sun can fade the picture. If a puzzle is wooden, plastic or metal, wipe it with a soft, barely damp cloth, dry it straight away and never soak it. When you finish, count the pieces back in and keep them in a box with a lid or a bag that closes, somewhere dry. A puzzle with one piece missing is a sad thing, and a quick count is worth the minute it takes.