Grades K–2 · Everyday Life
How do jigsaw pieces fit into one picture?
A jigsaw puzzle begins as a whole picture. Many cardboard puzzles are made by pressing shaped blades through the picture and its backing. Each cut makes two matching edges: one belongs to the piece on one side, and one belongs to its neighbor.
A rounded bump is called a tab. Beside it is a matching hollow in the next piece. When the pieces lie flat together, the tab sits inside that hollow. Its wider end helps stop the pieces from sliding straight apart across the table.
The red stripe continues across the join. Shape and picture provide different clues.
The picture gives another clue. A red stripe that reaches one edge can continue onto the next piece. The shapes must fit, and the picture must join too. Two pieces with nearly the same edge may still belong in different places.
The join is not glue. A piece can often be lifted out, and the puzzle can come apart again. The clever part is the shared cut: it makes edges that belong together while leaving separate pieces for a new day of puzzling.
About this explanation
This example shows interlocking cardboard pieces; not every puzzle uses tabs.
Starting knowledge: Recognize matching shapes and parts of a picture.
Sources
- Ravensburger — 40,320 pieces: producing the puzzle
- Ravensburger — The History of the Jigsaw Puzzle