History of Puzzles

We can go back thousands of years to the ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations which utilized puzzles to expand problem-solving skills and for intellectual stimulation. Civilizations in ancient Egypt, for example, would use clay tablets, creating puzzles in the form of hieroglyphs that they would then decode to uncover the message written (Puzzery). Much of the earliest puzzles were in the form of riddles, codes, and things that fostered critical thinking.

When the puzzles we’re familiar with were first introduced to the world they were known as “dissections.” It’s believed that a map engraver named John Spilsburry created the first “dissection” around 1762 (Wentworth Wood Puzzles, 2019). Spilsburry’s initial intentions were to give young students an educational tool specific to geographic education. He glued one of his maps onto a piece of wood and began cutting it into pieces following the country lines. You can see some of these "dissections" pictured above. It was an interactive way for students to become familiar with geography and quickly became a hit among individuals of all ages. They began creating these dissections with other images, educational and otherwise. Moreover, with the creation of the jigsaw in the 1880s came the renaming of these dissections, now called jigsaw puzzles after the jigsaw tool used to create this interactive activity (Los Angeles Public Library, 2021). As more advanced technology became available, puzzles grew more complex and depicted a wide variety of images.

Puzzles as Advertisements

At peak, puzzles were also used by companies to promote their products and reach wider audiences. On the left, we can see an example of Singer advertising their sewing machines and a Quaker Oats advertisement. Using puzzles was a clever way to expand interest and reach target audiences.

Below are a few examples of the different puzzles we see today:

Crossword Puzzles

Crossword puzzles are often known to be included in newspapers, magazines, or books specific to crossword puzzles. They can improve cognitive functioning skills, memory, one's overall brain health, and expand vocabulary knowledge (Budson, 2022). The first crossword puzzle published was around 1913 in The New York World!

Jigsaw Puzzles

When going into the store, one can choose from a wide selection of jigsaw puzzles, all different sizes, images, and levels of difficulty. The benefits that come with them are improvements in analytical skills, problem-solving, concentration, and cognitive skills. They are also helpful with memory as one gets older and boost one’s overall mental health.

Rubiks Cube

Rubiks cubes are another fun way to boost one’s memory, and over the years competitions have been organized to see who can sort the colors the fastest (Ipassio, 2022). It’s a great mental workout that enhances cognitive power, problem-solving, decision-making skills, and more!

Chunky Puzzles

Chunky puzzles, also known as jumbo knob puzzles, help toddlers develop a number of cognitive skills. They are great interactive toys for young kids still developing and a fun way to pastime! They have been found to help toddlers develop spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, direction following, and matching skills. Pictured above you can see the chunky puzzle Allison (the little girl in our study) was playing with in one of the interactions we observed!

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