National Puzzle Day Date in the current year: January 29, 2026

A puzzle is a game, toy, or problem that tests a person’s knowledge or ingenuity. The earliest recorded use of the word “puzzle” dates to the late 16th century, though puzzles existed long before then. The first jigsaw puzzle was created in the 1760s by John Spilsbury, a London mapmaker who cut maps into pieces to help children learn geography. Another popular type of puzzle is the crossword, which was created by Arthur Wynne and first appeared in the New York World newspaper in 1918. In less than a century, it became one of the world’s most popular puzzles.

Today, there are hundreds of different types of puzzles that can be divided into several categories: word puzzles, logic puzzles, number puzzles, mechanical puzzles, mathematical puzzles, information puzzles, paper-and-pencil puzzles, spot-the-difference puzzles, and chess problems, among others. Some have been around for centuries, while others were invented recently, but all have their fair share of devoted fans.

Many people view puzzles as a form of entertainment, but they have many educational benefits. Solving puzzles engages multiple cognitive processes simultaneously, such as attention, pattern recognition, memory, and logical reasoning, which is very good for our cognitive function. Regularly solving puzzles improves memory and concentration, boosts learning ability, and slows age-related cognitive decline. Solving puzzles can also reduce stress because successfully solving a puzzle provides a sense of accomplishment.

Jodi Jill’s love for puzzles stems from her difficult childhood. Her parents raised her and her siblings in a storage unit in Loveland, Colorado, for over a decade. The children were not allowed to leave the unit during the day, interact with people outside their family, or attend school. Jill taught herself to read at the library and discovered that puzzles were a great way to fill the gaps in her education.

Over time, Jill’s love of puzzles turned into her occupation. She is now a professional puzzle maker who creates various types of puzzles, including word searches, crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, and brain teasers. She also has a long-running syndicated puzzle column called Brain Baffler. She aims to encourage people of all ages to play with, learn from, and enjoy puzzles.

National Puzzle Day began in 1994 when Jill started giving free puzzles to students, teachers, and fellow enthusiasts on her birthday, January 29th. By the early 2000s, the holiday had become widely known, and now the entire month of January is celebrated as Puzzle Month. Jill prepares a Puzzle Day Activity Kit every year with fun ideas that you can download for free from her website.

National Puzzle Day is a holiday for almost everyone because most people love puzzles of some sort. Celebrate this amazing holiday by downloading free puzzles from the official National Puzzle Day website and sharing them with others, buying a new jigsaw puzzle, creating your own puzzle, attending an escape room (because it is filled with puzzles you need to solve in order to escape) or throwing a puzzle party for friends and family. Don’t forget to spread the word about the holiday on social media using the hashtags #PuzzleDay and #NationalPuzzleDay!