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How to Put Together a Jigsaw Puzzle

Wooden jigsaw puzzles were introduced in the late 1700s but didn't truly catch on with the public until the 1900s, when both wooden and cardboard versions were readily available for purchase. Since then puzzles have become more challenging and addicting and are used by schools and hobbyists alike. Following these steps will teach you some tricks to putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

Things You'll Need

Puzzle
Large table or puzzle mat
Puzzle glue

Instructions

- 1
  Spread puzzle pieces out, face up, on a large table or puzzle mat.
- 2
  Separate the edge and corner pieces and put the border together using the box lid picture as a guideline.
- 3
  Divide the remaining "inner" pieces and organize in groups with similar colors or letters. Any words or graphics will be easier to put together.
- 4
  Start placing similar pieces together until they fit and begin to form clusters--small parts of the larger picture.
- 5
  Connect clusters together once you can and keep looking at the box lid picture to find the locations of the groups of pieces.
- 6
  Finish the puzzle, connecting all pieces together, and decide whether to glue the puzzle or take it apart and start another.

Jigsaw Puzzles