(WARNING: If their is a baby or very small kid in the house, it could be hazardous if they pick up a puzzle piece and put it in their mouth, keep puzzles out of reach for them!)
We do have puzzles for small kids, that is for play and educational, but they have bigger pieces and made out of wood, not cardboard where pieces could come off when sucked on. Please also be aware that smaller puzzles lately arrive in plastic bags, make sure that when you start building that said bags are in the dustbin!
You have to get yourself organized firstly, tearing the box open, throwing all the puzzles on the table and start building, is a sure way too get nowhere very fast, and the end result is you putting the puzzle away and never get to build it!
Pre-building:
1. Get a easy puzzle to do for your first time out re building puzzles! This means a puzzle with lots of objects in. so it is easy too identify where what pieces go. See examples at bottom of page.
2. Get hold of a couple of smallish containers, about four or five. I usually use old margarine containers, as I find it the right size and it has a lid.
3. Depending on the size of the puzzle, get yourself a piece of white cardboard, a bit larger, which can be obtained from most stationary outlets, and try to use a table that is out of the way, or not used often, it helps for building, as the table normally has a cloth on, and it makes for difficulty to see the puzzles, as it could blend in with the different colors. (In the event that your puzzle will be framed, obtain two pieces of cardboard).
Bulding:
1. Throw all the pieces on the white cardboard and make sure none has dropped on the floor or somewhere.
2. Turn al the pieces image side up.
3. Select all the pieces that make the edge of the puzzle, it will be a straight edge on the pieces, and place them in one container.
4. Select all the pieces that looks like a face, tree, building or any object, that is similar, and place in another container.
5. If more objects, do so as above and place them in their own containers.
6. Keep a container for those puzzle pieces you cannot identify, and place them in a separate container.
7. Now you can take the container with the edges, pack them separately and start building.
8. When that is done, take the next container that contains a figure, building, etc. And start building it on the inside of the edge that you have finished.
9. If you get stuck with one object, don’t worry, take the container with the next object and start building inside the edges. Invariably you will find that at a stage you will see exactly where the piece you got stuck on should go.
Note:
All puzzle pieces has its own place, but puzzles today is made that it can fit in at more than one space, that is not its place. Look closely at the piece and the piece that you want to fit it, that it fits exactly, shoulders etc. Also look when fitting for something else like a piece of branch, leave, face, or anything that will help to identify its place!