As the weather gets colder and days get darker, we begin to look for relaxing indoor activities. Many of us read or watch TV, but have you ever considered puzzles? Puzzles are a great way to not only pass the time, but to keep your brain stimulated as well. The Blue Ridge and Fincastle branches of the Botetourt County Library have jigsaw puzzles available for patrons to borrow, and the Buchanan branch has in-house puzzles that you can put together while in the library. From children’s puzzles with just a few pieces to large puzzles with a thousand pieces or more, we’re sure to have a puzzle for everyone! There are even 3D puzzles available.
Borrowing a puzzle from the library is easy! Puzzles do not get checked out to your card. To borrow puzzles, all you have to do is let a library staff member know how many you’d like to take with you. There is no limit to the amount of puzzles that you can borrow at one time, and you may keep them as long as you wish so there are no due dates and no late fees! The Fincastle branch also offers other items in the puzzle area that are available for you to borrow, such as board games, card games, and study materials, such as flash cards.
There are many benefits to working puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles are a great meditation tool and stress reliever. Puzzles can help you unwind, lower stress levels, and brighten your mood. Solving puzzles can help improve your memory, allow you to develop better problem-solving skills, improve hand-eye coordination, increase your IQ, lengthen your attention span, and help delay dementia and Alzheimer’s. Working a puzzle can also provide comfort to those already living with memory disorders.
Jigsaw puzzles are also a great way to connect with family and friends. Working a puzzle as a group encourages creativity, conversation, and togetherness. Sometimes teamwork is necessary for completing a particularly tricky puzzle. Parents can use puzzles as a tool to teach children concepts such as letters and shapes. Problem-solving and spatial recognition skills are built when children manipulate the pieces to see how they fit together, and memory is also strengthened when children work the puzzle repeatedly. Puzzles also give everyone a much-needed break from digital screens.
As you can see, working puzzles is good for your mind, body, and spirit. If you aren’t a fan of jigsaw puzzles, the library offers several types of puzzle books available for checkout. There are search and finds such as “I Spy” or “Where’s Waldo?,” brain teasers, cryptograms, spot the differences, and math and logic puzzles. The library also carries books like crossword puzzle dictionaries and “Sudoku for Dummies” that will help you solve puzzles of your choice. If you’re looking for a puzzle that you can write on to solve, you can make copies of the puzzles printed in the daily newspaper for ten cents each. Stop by any branch of the Botetourt County Library to borrow your favorite type of puzzle today!
~ Julie Phillips, Director
Botetourt County Library
