A Guide to Jigsaw Puzzle Piece Counts

Getting lost in a jigsaw puzzle can be a peaceful and relaxing activity. But if you’re hoping to cozy up in your living room and enjoy a stress-free experience, your choice of puzzle can either enhance your best-laid-comfy plans or lead to frustration.

If you’re buying a jigsaw puzzle for kids, piece count is equally imperative. Puzzles with too few pieces can bore kids and send them back to their electronics, but puzzles with too many pieces (or irregular shapes) may encourage them to give up…and also turn back to their electronics.

Puzzles are far too fun and satisfying to give up on so quickly. They entertain, exercise our brainpower, and provide a sense of achievement. But for the best experience, piece count matters.

 

Understanding Piece Counts

Beginner Puzzles

Kids as young as three—who aren’t as keen at putting everything in their mouths and aren’t at a high risk of swallowing puzzle pieces—are the perfect age to start putting puzzles together. It’s a wholesome activity that encourages coordination and problem-solving in their fast-learning minds. 24-36 piece jigsaw puzzles with large puzzle pieces are a great place for these kiddos to start.

For ages 5+, 48-60 piece puzzles add more challenge and keep children engaged. The images may become slightly more complex, but are still fun and kid-related. Some children may enjoy these sized puzzles for years.

Children ages 6+ who are ready for a bigger challenge—and beginner adults—can venture into 100-500 piece jigsaw puzzles. These are also great puzzles for kids and parents/grandparents to enjoy together. The images are generally catered to children (like these underwater animals and this colorful map) but can be involved enough to require an adult’s guidance and assistance.

Intermediate Puzzles

Medium puzzle piece counts range from 500-1,000 pieces and are suitable for puzzle-goers with at least some prior experience.

The designs and images can become more complex, and the pieces are generally smaller.

The recommended age for intermediate puzzles is around 14+. But younger kids may be more than ready for the challenge of these puzzles.

Advanced Puzzles

1,000+ piece jigsaw puzzles are considered advanced and can be challenging even for experienced puzzlers.

Intricate images and varied piece shapes—whether irregular or ribbon cut— can further constitute advanced puzzles. Image color palettes may have less contrast, like a pale blue sky with a few, wispy clouds. It becomes harder to differentiate between pieces.

Some puzzles are also cut more loosely than others, which can make the pieces feel like they fit in more than one designated place. Considering a tight or loose fit, and puzzle composition, like cardboard versus wood, can be important.

Additional Jigsaw Puzzle Tips

Choosing an appropriate jigsaw puzzle for yourself or as a gift can be more nuanced than size, shape, and piece count.

Consider Your Time Commitment

Larger puzzles, from 500-1000+, can require a generous amount of time to complete. Maybe you’ve dedicated an entire, guilt-free weekend to yourself and have multiple hours to focus on puzzling. But if it’s 9PM on the last day of your vacation, starting a puzzle may not be the best choice.

At home is a great place to work on a puzzle, a few pieces, and a few days, at a time—as long as the puzzle isn’t physically in the way of other everyday activities. You can even vow to put one piece together every time you walk past it!

Find the Best Space

A puzzle project, especially 1,000+ pieces, can take up a lot of surface room. From separating pieces into different colors and making room for your puzzle’s border, puzzle parts become widely scattered.

Use a Puzzle Mat

Sometimes you have plenty of room, but you still have to move your puzzle. The best way to keep your project mobile is to build it on a puzzle mat. Roll up puzzle mats can give you the most flexibility, and allow you to take your puzzle to go.

Start with the Edges & Stay Organized 

Starting with a border and building inwards can be a great way to start a puzzle. Border pieces can be easier to identify and link together and give you a frame to work with.

As you search for straight-edged border pieces, be sure to turn all your puzzle pieces right-side up. This can take a lot of time at the beginning, but it helps give you an immediate overview of the distinctive colors and shapes you’re working with.

You can start organizing pieces into different groups as soon as you turn them over, too.

Use the Finished Image as a Reference

Trying to piece together a puzzle without looking at the final image is like trying to draw a picture without seeing it. If you’re confused where a piece or color should go, be sure to use the final image on the puzzle box as your guide.

However, if you prefer going into the puzzle blindly, it can offer an extra, brain-bending challenge.

Take Breaks

Leaning over a puzzle for hours at a time can be tempting—it’s so hard to step away!—but it’s good to get up every thirty minutes or so to stretch your legs and give your eyes a break. Puzzling does take a lot of concentration, so your brain can always use a brief rest, too.

Taking breaks can also keep you from getting overly frustrated, especially when you can’t find that piece you just saw a minute ago…

Have Fun Puzzling

Building a jigsaw puzzle can be a quiet and peaceful activity, but it requires some strategy. Selecting the best jigsaw puzzle involves strategy, too.

Age and skill level can help puzzle-goers select an appropriate jigsaw puzzle, but other constraints like time, space, and organization further make or break jigsaw puzzle fun.

Whether you already love jigsaw puzzles or are newly intrigued by the satisfaction of piecing a picture together from scratch, now is the time to experiment with puzzles of all shapes and sizes. Find an image that inspires or calms you, and become blissfully immersed in it.

We encourage you to explore our many jigsaw puzzles and share some of your favorite puzzling tips and experiences with us.