Make Time to Play: January

This year, we’re celebrating play at the library! Everyone knows how beneficial play is for kids, but did you know that it is equally important for adults? It can be a wonderful stress reliever, boosts creativity, alleviates boredom, and may even lower your blood pressure. To that end, every month in 2024, we’re highlighting a different form of play. Each month we’ll have a bingo-style fun card. If you complete all the activities for a blackout on your card, you’ll receive a special prize. And if you complete all 12 fun cards, you’ll be eligible to win a grand prize and be crowned our annual play champion!

For January, we’re kicking things off with puzzles. For most of the months, you’ll be on your own, but for this first one, we’ll help you out with a cart full of fun puzzles at the library to help you complete your fun card. But don’t feel limited to what’s on the card!

Did you know solving puzzles can improve your memory, problem-solving skills, and cognitive ability?

Did you know that jigsaw puzzles were invented in the 1700s and initially called Dissected Maps because they were a tool for learning geography?

Did you know that the study of puzzles is called enigmatology? New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz coined the term and crafted his own major in the subject in the 1970s at the University of Indiana. So far, he’s the only person in the world with a degree in enigmatology.

Did you know logic puzzles were first created by mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll?

Did you know there’s a Puzzle Mansion you can visit in the Philippines? It hosts all manner of puzzles, including 3D and 4D puzzles, but its biggest claim to fame is its collection of over 1,000 different completed jigsaw puzzles, which depict everything from classic paintings to famous cityscapes.

Without further ado, here’s this month’s fun card! For the wild card middle spot, you can work on a jigsaw puzzle, a logic puzzle, or any other puzzle that you want. Most importantly, though, just make some time to play this month, no matter your age!

What’s your favorite type of puzzle? Which activity on the fun card piques your interest the most? What’s your favorite way to play? Tell us in the comments!