Who doesn’t love a good puzzle? Sitting down as a family – or even individually – and figuring out how oddly shaped pieces come together to form a frame-worthy piece of art can be a relaxing and fun activity for all ages.
January is officially known as National Puzzle Month and Jan. 29 is National Puzzle Day, so to celebrate, we’re diving into the puzzling world of all things jigsaw challenges. According to a study by puzzle manufacturer Ravensburger, 48% of Americans enjoy piecing together puzzles at least once a year. Why? Participants cited relaxation, stress relief, and plain ol’ family fun as their main reasons for puzzling.
Puzzles have been around for centuries and come in all shapes and sizes: 3D, character-based, ones with big soft pieces, and ones with intricate details. Ravensburger is no stranger to the magical, fun world of puzzles. Here are some of our favorite, instant classics that’ll keep your family occupied until, well, you finish the puzzle!
3D London Bus, Ravensburger ($29.99)
‘Ello, puzzlers! Piece together 216 plastic shapes to form a realistic, 3D model of an iconic, British red double-decker bus. The freestanding model has an opening at the top of the bus to store utensils and other goodies inside. Each puzzle piece is printed with a number on the reverse side for easy assembly.
Escape Puzzle: The Curse of the Wolves, Ravensburger ($19.99)
It’s all about riddles, and Ravensburger’s escape puzzles are, well, puzzling. This one includes a 759-piece puzzle in one of six themes for players to piece together and find the solutions to the illustrated clues’ riddles. Test kids’ problem-solving skills because each puzzle image is slightly different than the box diagram. Can you figure out the nitty-gritty details and what the riddles mean?
Disney Collector Puzzle – Cinderella, Ravensburger ($24.99)
Bibbity, bobbity, puzzle time! Available in a variety of Disney themes, kids can piece together the magical characters inside each enchanting box. The puzzles use 1,000 pieces to recreate iconic moments from Disney films, including Cinderella’s magical gown transformation, Dumbo taking a bath, Peter Pan and the Darling kids flying over London, and Sleeping Beauty dancing with her prince.
Me & My Pal, Ravensburger ($16.59)
These kids’ puzzles are a great starter option for toddlers to hone their puzzling skills. Available in a variety of cute-as-a-button animals and themes, the larger pieces fit together with ease to make some pretty pictures. These are the ones kids will want to do over and over and over again.
Tropical Friends, Ravensburger ($9.90)
These iconic puzzles are making a big comeback for their 10-year anniversary. These 1:1-scaled puzzles bring back so much nostalgia as puzzelers of all ages piece together pretty images of animals and a construction set.
Puzzle Stow & Go, Ravensburger ($20.99)
While not a puzzle, this is the latest innovation that any frequent puzzler needs in their life. Puzzle fanatics can roll up and transport an in-progress jigsaw puzzle without messing up any of the connected pieces. It comes with an inflatable tube and a bright felt mat for compact storage. The mat comes with a non-skid backing and elastic bands to secure the puzzle in place, which is sized to fit up to a 1500-piece puzzle.
