Five Ways for the Whole Family, from Grandma to the Kids, to Do Puzzles Together over the Holidays

When the whole family gathers for Chuseok (Korean harvest festival) or Seollal (Korean Lunar New Year), an odd moment always arrives. The meal is over, a round of conversation has passed, and the television is already on. But there is nothing in particular that everyone can do together.

Puzzles fit that moment quite well. There are no rules to explain. Even with differences in skill, everyone gets a share of the work, and sitting together without talking does not feel awkward. Online puzzles have only one screen, so they take a bit of know-how, and I have narrowed down five approaches you can try with this site’s features.

1. Put it on the TV and take turns

This is the simplest. Put the puzzle on a television or large monitor and have people take turns moving pieces.

It is best to start with 24 pieces. With several people it may seem that even 100 pieces would go quickly, but with one screen there is only one pair of hands, so it actually becomes frustrating. If you turn on the preview, the people watching can chime in with “that piece goes in the upper right,” so nobody gets bored while waiting their turn. To keep one person from holding on too long, it helps to agree that each person moves three pieces and then passes.

2. Today’s Puzzle for family who live far away

In years when everyone cannot gather, Today’s Puzzle comes in handy. One work is set per day, based on midnight Korea time, and whoever opens it that day gets the same work.

All it takes is an agreement: “Do Today’s Puzzle this evening and tell me your time.” Once you finish, you can send a link with the share button on the results screen. Completion records are saved only in each person’s own browser, so the surest way to compare is to tell each other. Whatever difficulty each person chooses, it is recorded as that day’s completion, but if you want to compete fairly, agree on it in advance.

Even so, there is no need to fixate on winning. What remains is having looked at the same picture on the same day. It is like sharing the habit of solving one puzzle a day within the family.

3. Print it out and solve it on the table

If there are older relatives who find screens uncomfortable, use the printable PDF. Every puzzle has a printable PDF, so you can print it, cut it out and solve it on the table.

With a paper puzzle, several people can work on it at the same time, and handling the pieces makes it easy to talk. Tips for printing and cutting are in how to print printable puzzles. If you are curious where screen and paper each work better, see online vs. print puzzles.

It is best for an adult to do the cutting in advance. Then again, leaving it to the kids can turn into a game of its own.

4. With your own family photos

There is also a feature for making a puzzle from your own photo. Turn a photo taken together over the holiday, a picture from a past trip or a photo of the kids when they were little into a puzzle and solve it.

It suits the holidays especially well because the picture itself becomes something to talk about. As you fit the pieces, the conversation spreads: “Where was this again?” “Remember that outfit?” Many people enjoy their own photos far more than famous paintings.

There are a few things to know in advance. The photo you choose is processed only inside your browser and is not sent anywhere, so you can use family photos without worry. On the other hand, this mode does not save your progress, so make it a size you can finish in one sitting. Photos with large areas of sky or white wall tend to be hard; you can read more about which photos work well as puzzles in making a puzzle from your own photo.

5. Choose the piece count to suit each age

The most common failure when several people play together is a difficulty that suits only one person. The kids get bored quickly, and the older relatives’ eyes tire because the pieces are small.

With children, 24 pieces is plenty. Paintings with an easily recognizable main subject, such as animals or people, are good.

Solve this painting as a puzzle → about 5 minutes on Easy

When there is a subject that stands out, like the hawk in Hawk at Sunrise, it is easy for a child to ask, “Where does this go?” Tips by age are covered in a first jigsaw puzzle with your child.

With older relatives, lower the piece count and enlarge the pieces with the zoom button. It can also help to say in advance that nobody needs to pay attention to the timer, so no one feels rushed. More details are in puzzles for seniors.

When generations are mixed, finish a 24-piece round all together, then raise the piece count and play again. Warm up with an easy round, then get more ambitious in the next.

If you get stuck choosing a painting, leave it to Today’s Puzzle. There is no effort in choosing, and there is the fun of landing on an unexpected work. If you do not like it, you can simply switch to another.

A game with no winner

Puzzles have no winner. When everyone plays together, it simply ends. You do not have to talk, and if you step away for a moment and come back, all that has happened is that someone has fit one more piece in the meantime.

Holidays often feel awkward because people are together with nothing to do together. One round of pieces fills that gap quite well. No grand plan is needed. One screen and 24 pieces are enough to start.