Puzzles are a fun activity to do in your free time. They’re relaxing and most importantly, rewarding! But puzzles can be tricky for those who are new to arranging them. If you’re a teen who wants to give puzzles a try but isn’t sure where to start, check out these tips and tricks for people new to puzzles for some pointers.
Set Up Your Workspace
The first step to any puzzle is to set up your workspace. You’ll need a flat surface for assembling your puzzle, so a desk, table, or floor is best, but you can also buy a puzzle board and do your puzzles wherever you’d like.
Ideally, you should set up your puzzle in your room. If you decide to do your puzzle on the dining room table or coffee table, you’ll have to carefully put it away when you’re not working on it so the other members of your family can use the furniture. Your room is also likely quieter than the rest of your house, so you can work on your puzzle in peace and quiet.
Sort Your Pieces
Once you have a place to work, unbox your puzzle. Dump out the pieces and flip them all picture-side up. This can take some time, but it’ll make the puzzle much easier to complete in the long run. Once all your pieces are facing up, arrange them by color and pattern. If you want, you can also arrange the pieces into smaller groups based on the number of tabs (protruding ends) and blanks (indented ends) they have.
Arrange
Now that you have your neatly arranged groups, you can start assembling the puzzle. Most puzzlers do the border first and work their way inward. Once you complete the border, turn to your piles of similar pieces. Because of their designs, the pieces in each group are likely to fit together.
Choose a pile and then choose a piece from that pile to start with. Then, sift through the other pieces in your chosen pile and find ones that fit with your chosen piece. Continue until you’ve used all (or most) of the pieces in that pile and then move onto the next group. Before long, you’ll have a fully completed puzzle!
Once you’re done with a puzzle, you can take it apart so you can do it again in the future. You can also frame your hard work and hang it up on your wall as décor. And now that you’ve mastered these tips and tricks for people new to puzzles, you’re no longer a puzzle beginner, are you? You’re on your way to becoming a puzzle pro!