Need another way to pass the time while staying home during social distancing due to Coronavirus? With everything going on in the world right now, being cooped up at home is inevitable for a lot of people. If you’ve already binge-watched everything and are looking for something else to do, we’ve got the perfect activity for you: puzzles!

Interestingly, our brains actually crave puzzles and problem-solving activities, there’s science behind it:

• Physical: Physically, the human brain is challenged by puzzles as they can improve hand-eye coordination. When you see a puzzle piece with your eyes, your brain analyzes not only the colour and pattern information – but also its shape. Then your brain triggers movement of your hands which results in improved motor skills.
  
• Mental: Cognitively, solving a jigsaw puzzle improves your memory! We find that our day-to-day is so BUSY. By taking the time to focus all of your attention on one thing in your day, your brain makes stronger memory connections. This in turn improves your overall problem solving skills as you become more effective at focusing your attention on the task at hand.
  
• Emotional: On an emotional level, doing a puzzle is a true test of your patience. When you start a puzzle, you are setting a short-term goal that you can actively monitor progress on. The world has come to a standstill; many tasks and activities that we would normally be able to do effortlessly throughout our days – like grocery shopping – have now turned into major “outings,” and easily take three times as long. Exercising your patience is an important skill to practice now more than ever.