International Puzzle Day 2023

In the era of computer games and game consoles, many of us have forgotten about such a great entertainment as puzzles. Lately, however, more and more people go back to the basics: jigsaw, sudoku, word searches or crossword puzzles. If you have not done it yet, we encourage you to try on International Puzzle Day.

Puzzle Day is observed around the world on January 29 since 1995. The event was started by game companies in the United States and it honors all types of puzzles. On that day we are all encouraged to participate in the event by solving some puzzles. Satisfaction and sharing the effect on the social media are not the only benefits! It is proven that while working on a jigsaw puzzle, both sides of our brain are active. This activity also improves our memory, logical thinking and problem-solving skills. And when we do this in a group, we also improve or teach our children social skills. Talking about children, it is a great idea to spend time with them solving puzzles. Not only are we tightening our bond with them, but also teaching them many important abilities that way. Their concentration and creativity get increased and they learn how to solve problems using logical thinking. We can also show them that computer games are not the only way to have fun!

January 29 is Puzzle Day not only internationally. It is also a national observance in the United States known as National Puzzle Day. It was started by Jodi Jill, a syndicated newspaper puzzle columnist and author of over two dozen books. The aim of National Puzzle Day is very similar to International Puzzle Day – to encourage everyone to come together with family and friends or even organize a party and simply solve puzzles having fun together. In 2018, for example, a group of teachers in the United States were introducing different kinds of puzzles to their classrooms on January. There are also free puzzles available every January on the official website of National Puzzle Day. All of these actions have made solving puzzles more popular than ever.

Did you know?

Puzzles have quite a long history. The first jigsaw puzzle was invented around 1760 in the form of a map placed on a piece of wood and sawed around countries in order to teach geography. The idea was becoming more and more popular evolving into other kinds of logical riddles. The first crossword in the world, however, was published by the end of 1913.