As with many pastimes, the journey is arguably more important than the destination when solving a puzzle. There are those out there who dedicate their lives to solving large puzzles in world-record times, but that’s not necessarily the main purpose of puzzling. If you’re on your own or prefer to pick away at the task little by little, then you can really make a puzzle last much longer. With enough effort, a family could polish off a 500 piece puzzle in a single evening. The completion time of a puzzle is dependent on the number of pieces it has and the commitment of the person – or group – putting it together. Do jigsaw puzzles take a long time to complete? Very young children will enjoy something with fewer pieces so that it doesn’t become too long a task, though you don’t want something that’s too easy, either. But if you’re buying for a small child, then you won’t want one with lots of tiny pieces – not least because of the choking hazard that presents.
