Creating A Family Tradition-Jigsaw Puzzles
Barbara White
Do you find it difficult to spend time together as a family?
There are so many pressures and activities that can take away from
the sense of family that was commonly experienced 50 years ago.
Parents often both work, and their commute can be tiring and long.
For children there is school and homework, TV, video games, and the
computer to juggle with. This does not include outside the home
activities such as belonging to sports teams and organizations. All
of these factors mean that the family is not together so often. Many
activities that occupy children nowadays are individualistic or non-
social. Electronic forms of entertainment are now normal, but the
disadvantage is that they are not conducive to social interaction and
relationship building.
Parents increasingly have to plan to set aside time to spend as a
family. During these times it is a good idea to plan activities that
involve everyone. A great way of bonding is to do an activity where
everyone works together to accomplish a project.
Doing a jigsaw puzzle together is a good example of this and has many
benefits. Working on a jigsaw puzzle is a practical activity that all
ages can participate in some way. Even younger children can be
encouraged to help. They can sort the pieces into like colors, or
look for particular pieces. They feel such a sense of accomplishment
when they find the piece and help complete the section.
For children, a jigsaw puzzle has several learning applications. It
develops spatial awareness and hand eye coordination. There are
analytical, abstract, and concrete thinking skills that are needed to
become adept at doing a jigsaw puzzle.
While the family is together around the puzzle, a relaxed natural
environment is created for conversation and relationship building. It
develops a sense of team as all participate.
Doing a jigsaw puzzle is also a great introduction to other types of
hobbies and crafts that involve using hands and creating something.
For the upcoming generation these types of crafts and hobbies are in
danger of dying out as electronic entertainment increases in
popularity and use.
I have fond memories of doing jigsaw puzzles with my family as a
child. It became a family tradition especially during the winter
months. Today, however, this can still be done but without the
inconvenience of losing the use of the dining room table until the
puzzle is completed. There are now puzzle mats and other new storage
possibilities now available.
In comparison to the jigsaw puzzles that were around when I was a
child, the jigsaw puzzles are far more interesting and appealing.
There are shaped puzzles, glowing, educational puzzles, and more
complex puzzles for the experienced puzzler such as 3D and two sided
puzzles.
Create a tradition for your family. Plan now and buy some jigsaw
puzzles to bring out on a rainy or cold weekend and have a refreshing
bonding time as a family.
I would recommend
http://www.thepuzzlemania.com as a good place to
order puzzles on line today and be prepared for family fun.
<< -------------- End of Free Reprint Article ----------- >>
Find More Free Articles
See Also:
All Articles About Home & Family
Index of All Free Reprint Articles
