4 fun puzzle types to test your skill and patience

If you enjoy challenges, there are plenty of puzzles that allow both young and old to roll up their sleeves and dive in. Are you patient enough to finish?
There are several types of puzzles, and they all require one thing: patience, lots of patience. Do you have what it takes? Puzzles offer a great opportunity to develop perseverance, and they’re also a great exercise for sharpening your observational skills.

Children are usually initiated into the world of puzzles with the wooden models that comprise of only a few large pieces. They are usually designed with a tiny knob sticking out of each piece for easier manipulation and placing in the puzzle base.

Among the different types of children’s puzzles, there are cube-shaped puzzles that make up a picture when the cubes are placed in the right order. The cubes typically include a different image on each side so the child can do several puzzles with the same set.

The most common type of puzzle is the traditional jigsaw puzzle, composed of different-shaped parts that fit together to form a two-dimensional image. You can also find puzzles that are shaped like the images they depict. There are simple puzzles for children and more complicated ones for adults.

Some may have only five pieces, while others consist of hundreds or thousands. Warning: players who are not known for their patience should beware. The number of pieces is often an indication of the skill—or patience level—although the size of the pieces plays a role as well. In other words, a 24-piece puzzle could be more or less difficult depending on whether the pieces are large or small.

If you like building complex structures, you’re sure to enjoy 3-D puzzles. Assemble the pieces by following the plan and watch a famous monument or a princess castle appear. Whether it's the London Bridge, the Taj Mahal, Cinderella’s castle, or the Titanic, you’re bound to find a challenge worthy of your talent.

Whatever your favourite type of puzzle, there’s something for everyone: animals, landscapes, modes of transportation, famous landmarks, fictional characters and winter scenes. And if you’re hard to please, there are also puzzles you can create yourself. Imagine that!

If you don’t have a spot where you can leave your 3,000-piece puzzle until it’s finished, you can use a puzzle carpet. These felt sheets let you roll up your puzzle without you having to take it apart. You can put it away until you’re ready to work on it again.

And if you’re so proud of the work you’ve accomplished that you’re reluctant to take your puzzle apart once you’re done, don’t worry. There is no rule that says you have to put it back in the box. Puzzle glue lets you stick the pieces together so you can then frame it and prove to all the sceptics that you did indeed finish that monumental puzzle.