A Wooden Puzzle Game Spans The Generations

By Andrea Davidson


Throughout history toys, games and puzzles have traditionally been crafted from wood. That began to change after World War Two when mass production and cheaper raw materials saw plastics take over those sections of the markets. Yet even today you can still find people happily trying to work out how to complete a traditional wooden puzzle game.

There is something about these objects that cause people to fondly think of their childhood. Everyone probably had those brightly coloured, hand sized blocks of wood when they were a toddler. They were safe for a youngster, they were unlikely to be swallowed and were inexpensive, but children loved them. There are probably toy building blocks still taking up space in cupboards up and down the country.

It is almost a right of passage, children move from building blocks made from wood to jigsaws, also made from wood. Those first jigsaws were often nothing more than coloured shapes that a child had to fit into the correct location on a board. Children progressed to what could be thought of as the more typical jigsaw. They were all helpful in teaching hand and eye coordination, not to mention digital dexterity.

Many a child will have been packed off to spend time with their Grandparents during the school breaks. The Grandparents try to make the days as fun filled as possible, but with all the good will in the world sooner or later the weather puts paid to the original plans. How do Grandparents overcome this, simply by bringing out the puzzles that your parents used to play with.

Despite being raised surrounded by technology there is something quite heart warming about trying to solve the exact puzzle that your parents also tried to fathom out. Due to the material it was made from it will have survived time. Maybe there is a piece which is a different colour and feel to the other pieces. Perhaps this was a piece that your Grandfather had to hand carve when a bit was lost.

Many people feel that young people are only interested in computer games these days, yet surprisingly there seems to be quite a healthy market for these more traditional items. Today things have progressed, and thanks largely to modern manufacturing items no longer need to be carved by hand. The materials used are all of the highest quality, but now they are made much faster.

There are many puzzles and games available to entertain and frustrate in equal measure. This is very true when aimed at the three dimensional ones. You know that it can be done as it was complete when you got it, but it seems as though you get so far easily and then the frustration sets in. Or it nears completion when you notice the small piece hiding under the table. Yet there is enormous satisfaction when you do manage to complete it all.

Many of these games and puzzles have changed little over time, and some are relative newcomers. Many are still known by their original names. Such as the Towers of Hanoi. One less familiar might be the Soma Cube. It only takes a quick glance when you notice someone attempting one of these, and you are hooked. You want to attempt to solve your very own wooden puzzle game.




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1 comment:

  1. Wooden puzzles are ideal as gifts, educational aids and promotional items. They are also great fun and a real talking point! Whatever your age, whether you're looking for a bit of entertainment or a serious brainteaser we are sure you will find something here that fits the bill.

    www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/indoor-games/wooden-puzzles.html

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