Best Jigsaw Art Puzzles for the Whole Family
The best art puzzles for your family’s quality time together are right at your fingertips.
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Discovering Puzzles as Family Quality Time
Puzzles have become a big part of our lives in the past year.
My girls have always enjoyed jigsaw puzzles since they were little; my eldest, Audrey, was doing 25-piece puzzles at three years old, and I was so proud!
But last year, at 37 weeks pregnant with our fourth daughter, my doctor told me I was in labor, and he said I would have her by that night.
That night came and passed. And so did the next night and the next two weeks.
My body wasn’t ready, and neither was my baby, and my doctor had predicted incorrectly.
My sister visited from across the country to wait to meet her with us.
The days were dark and cold and wet in the middle of January; my three daughters were not built to be indoors this much.
And though even in the worst weather, we spend time outside every day, some days it’s not enough to get out their troves of energy, and their minds get bored and fidgety.
My sister and I have a deep-seated love language for quality time, which is probably where my love for hygge comes from.
So I wasn’t surprised when, one day she slipped off to town and came back with all the makings of a perfect Danish day.
Beautiful puzzles and chocolates.
The best art puzzles my girls had ever laid eyes on.
We lit candles, wrapped ourselves in cozy blankets, spread out the little feast of candies, put on a pot of coffee, and got to work on our new puzzles.
Charles Wysocki: The Man, The Myth, the Artist
The ones my sister brought home that day were all by Charles Wysocki. He remains our favorite puzzle artist to date. And we have added many more of his beautiful classic jigsaw puzzles to our collection. In my opinion, they are the best art puzzles on the market.
These puzzles also make the perfect gift, whether a more formal gift for Christmas or a birthday. They also make a perfect gift for just an everyday “I was thinking of you and wanted to spend time together”. Just like my sister did on those cold January days while we waited for our Stella James to arrive.
Quality Time, not just a Past Time
Our family values quality time, and my children thrive off of it in all kinds of forms, from board games, long walks, reading together, and so many more, but I think that all the various forms of quality time offer something different.
Some of the best puzzles we’ve done together as a family, or just me and my girls, have cultivated a calm and safe environment.
It usually begins with the usual chit-chat and joking around, and then, as the puzzle progresses, there comes a silence over everyone. At the same time, we focus on whatever we are working on. Someone is doing the border, someone else is focused on a house,
And then someone will break the silence with a thought, a worry, a dream. Something that has obviously been sitting on their heart for some time.
There’s something about a puzzle that always seems able to bring out that side of us, and it leads to beautiful, intentional conversations. It always feels like such a beautiful way for our family to grow and get to know each other more deeply, and I anticipate this is something that I will treasure doing with them for the rest of my life.
A Puzzle Size for any Occasion
Deciding what puzzle we will do on any given day depends on the number of puzzle pieces, and the best art puzzles come in various levels of difficulty. A 300-piece jigsaw puzzle will typically last us an afternoon and is great for a rainy day when other plans get canceled. The puzzles with the least number of pieces are going to have slightly larger pieces, while the largest puzzle is going to have slightly smaller pieces.
A 500-piece count is great for a day dedicated to puzzle doing, where that is the main event of the day; people come and go as they please, and breaks are taken for meals. 1,000 pieces are good puzzles for a weekend of long-lasting enjoyment. They need to be set up a little out of the way, and it is probably best not to put them on the dinner table; these works of art take time. People come and go.
Sometimes, the whole family is working on it; other times, it’s just you. It’s always exciting when someone else has taken the helm for a bit while you were gone, and there were sections completed, and it begins to emerge as a work of art, and you can now see things start to come together, and it reminds me of that feeling of falling asleep as a child knowing that your parents are still awake downstairs keeping watch. It’s a magical feeling.
The Best Art Puzzles for Hygge
All of Charles Wysocki’s great paintings are cozy puzzles and they fit our family’s personality better than any fine art puzzles, which are very popular in their own right. We also love finding more unique puzzles by individual artists on sights such as Etsy. Wysocki has the highest quality art with beauty and sweetness with hidden images. The scenes tell little stories that you don’t notice while looking at the overall image on the box, but while working on the tiny little storefront for a good fifteen minutes, you notice the little shopkeepers and shoppers, you notice the animals and their families.
From scenes of pumpkin patch towns in the fall to little seaside villages or snow-covered Christmas towns, there is a place in the home of an art lover or a puzzle lover. These 20th century works of art scenes set in the 19th century, as well as some set in the 18th century, are sure to bring your family together in a beautiful way.
Be sure to gather around with cozy snacks and drinks and candles and be truly present with the people you love.
Check out some of our family’s favorite Charles Wysocki puzzles below. The price ranges are beyond reasonable if you are considering what it would cost your family for an evening of fun anywhere other than your living room or kitchen table. Be sure to pair it with snacks and cozy drinks and candles. Create a warm and cozy atmosphere and enjoy spending time with your loved ones. But whether you decide to go with fine art jigsaw puzzles like the Mona Lisa or Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, or something charming and cozy like Charles Wysocki, the memories with your family will be more prized than the arts originals hanging in a national gallery.
Some of our favorite Charles Wysocki puzzles:
Vermont Maple Tree Tappers – 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Churchyard Christmas – 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Bread and Butter Farms – 300 Large Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Jolly Hill Farms – 300 Large Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Nantucket Winds – 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
AMDG
Emma Williams
Read more about cultivating family relationships at Paraclete Pedagogy
