
Ever tried to find a perfect Christmas or Birthday gift to span across various age groups. A gift to give a family of young and old? An educational and learning gift that challenges the mind and engages the receiver for more than 10 minutes?
Books are great but not everyone likes reading, or the same genre. Then there is edible gifts but choosing an appropriate food means you now have to factor in gluten free, dairy free, lactose free and vegan options. Too many families have food intolerances that must be considered. It is too hard.
Enter the 1000 piece Jigsaw Puzzle from Shannxi Toy Manufacturer.

Puzzles are excellent toys for fostering the development of logical thinking and intelligence. Puzzles are not only educational, but essential in children’s intellectual development as they promote spatial awareness and understanding of shape relationships. These three dimensional skills are especially important in creative pursuits, design or engineering careers.
Shannxi 1000 Piece Balloon Puzzle

I was kindly gifted a wonderful Jigsaw puzzle from Toy Manufacturer Shannxi Classical Trade Co. Their jigsaw puzzles are made of thickened paper, are strong and durable, and suitable for ages 7 – 107 years of age.

The puzzle in a box complete with separators for sorting the various styles of puzzle pieces. It defintiely helps to sort the light blue from the dark blue when it comes to placing sky tones.

As it happens, my neighbour is somewhat of an expert in jigsaw puzzles. At 91 years young, she is fit and sharp minded, something she attributes to her love of completing jigsaw puzzles.

Peg is the authority so here is what she thought of the puzzle:
Review of Shaanxi Hot Air Balloon Puzzle
Likes
- Border is easy to figure out and complete
- Two puzzles in one – the reverse side is printed as another puzzle
- Template Mat included, is a great reference tool and can be used as a sorting mat
- The puzzle is a lot of fun
- Reverse side gives a clue for difficult areas of similar color
- Puzzle box has separators to categorize and sort pieces – very useful and a great idea
- Design will please most adults
- Fosters patience and hand dexterity and great for those prone to arthritis in the hands
- Puzzle can be completed by doing one section at a times due to dual printing on both sides
- Constructed using high quality wood and paper pieces
Peg’s Dislikes
- The blue sky was tricky and required perseverance to complete
- The pieces were hard to retrieve once inserted in the puzzle. ie. if they are inserted in the wrong place and are changed. A small piece broke off from the printed underside of the puzzle piece when it was switched around.
- The design could have benefited from some smaller balloons in the distance for higher visual interest.
My Recommendations
- I am very happy to recommend this product for children and adults.
- The puzzle is challenging enough to engage and adult and child for many hours.
- It has the therapeutic advantage of being great practice for fine motor dexterity and hand control.
- It is educational in the sense that it uses the mind to compute shapes and spatial relationships.
- Delivery was timely and email communication with the company was without problem.
Shaanxi also have fully customized options and 3 D puzzles for your enjoyment.
If you are interested in purchasing a Jigsaw puzzle for Christmas or that special gift, Jason and the team will be happy to assist you with various delivery options to meet your personal needs.
Shaanxi Classical Grain Trade Co. +86 15829369901
We chat: +86 15829369901
Email: 982067068@qq.com

*I received no monetary incentive for this review.
Here are some more Christmas gift ideas.
I bought a couple who are close friends of mine a $99 jigsaw when it became obvious they wouldn’t be travelling in 2020; but I did ask them if they really wanted it. They claimed they did.
It has been sitting there in its box ever since. I love jigsaws; and I have half a mind to ask for it back ..
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes why not complete it for them.or offer to start it off to pique their interest- at the least. Jigsaws are awesome and I admit to being a little addicted when I start them. They’re so good as we get older – they aid our concentration much better than video games.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Amanda, My first thought is how inspirational Peg is…. what a coolly and her puzzle hobby has been good for her too.
—
and second, I like when bloggers do reviews that are purely inspired because they want to share about it and not necessarily for monetary gain. nothing against bloggers that have affiliate links (and I unfollow the ones who have too many of them) – but nothing against them – I just do not “really know” where they stand – but when it is the way you shared it here – it feels so genuine
lastly, great time to do this for ideas for gifts!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Yvette. You are so very kind. It does come from the heart. And perfect for a xmas gift.
LikeLiked by 1 person
and I just posted about tea and mentioned the brand – and as I typed the name I was thinking abut how sometimes we humans get caught up in affiliate links and all that – oh and I was thinking of your post about “blog ads” earlier today and it kind of ties in
— I really like the freedom of being able to mention a product or review an item without having to worry about being paid for it – at least on the ol blog I want that freedom –
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fair point! I hope this isn’t as annoying as an ad! I agree it is a great to have the freedom to endorse a product we like, or don’t like as the case may be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
speaking of the annoying ads – I was checking blogs from a different device and on Su’s tea party post there were ads inside the post!
and some for KY jelly – what the heck??
and then last week was listening to YouTube songs and a song stopped to play an ad? Really – a five-minute song had to pause for a frggin’ ad? Isn’t that company rich enough – and I get that they need to have ads to pay for their service and keep videos coming in by paying people –
but the folks at Google in charge of this heavy ad promotion (that can also slightly be felt in some wordpress now that those companies connected) well that was annoying and I am still pondering what the heck is happening and who is in charge of YouTube ads –
okay – thanks for letting me rant
LikeLike
I enjoyed your post. Looks like you used an excellent tester.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Peg was a first class tester, Carol. 91 years young and still loving life! I only hope to be as fit and sharp as Peg in my elder years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My mum was also a keen puzzle builder. I am also a keen builder. When I moved house 3 years ago I got rid of three-quarters of what I had. Today I still have at least 30 which I couldn’t give away. I build them over and over again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent to hear Ineke. They keep the mind young I think. I would love to have one of The Netherlands if you would like to rehome it. I would happily pay for the postage.
LikeLike
Sorry but I have only new ones bought here in NZ through https://www.holdson.com/contactus I love there pictures and also the funny ones with all the people have trouble with each other and things around them.
LikeLike
Okay. No worries at all!!
LikeLike
I love the notion, and am pleased to say that I fit in with that age group, Amanda! 🙂 🙂 Happy festive season!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am glad the age group for the puzzle is inclusive, Jo. Have a lovely Christmas and New Year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My dad got the puzzles out during the pandemic and it was a great item to bring the family together. This is such a lovely print. I’m going to need to do them more if I want to follow in Peg’s footsteps to keep mental sharpness.
LikeLike
Excellent to hear that puzzles are making a comeback in many households during the pandemic. It’s a great way to bring family together and away from their devices for a while. How old is your Dad? It seems like puzzles are more popular with the older folks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It sure is! Dad is in his 70s. We gave it a break after completing about 5 during the earlier lockdown months.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is an achievement!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I went back to enjoying puzzles this year, after years of not doing so. Always found them relaxing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another returning puzzle fan! I just heard about wasgij- jigsaw spelt backwards. Those puzzles have a slightly quirky take on the format that make them more challenging for the mind. Have you heard of those?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Used to have a few! Very good challenge 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such fun!
LikeLiked by 1 person
An excellent idea, Amanda. When readers suggest that my photographs may make good jigsaw puzzles I think I missed a trick when I was younger – too late, now, of course
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never too late. You might submit a prospective puzzle photo to Shaanxi toy company, for consideration!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amanda, I love puzzles as well. The cat tended to eat some of the pieces, so I would dig one out of the closet and find 2-4 pieces missing at the end. Your balloon one reminded me of terrific balloon puzzle I got for the kids, probably 200 pieces. It had twenty or so balloons in all shapes, colors and depths. Once the kids moved away, if I needed a quick fix, I would pull one of theirs out just a do it one sitting. Thanks for the memories. Keith
LikeLike
A perfect gift for this time of Covid-19.
LikeLike
Thank You for the puzzle recommendation I have a friend who loves doing them. I myself do not have the patience maybe I should start 91 yr that’s so awesome to be that spritely. I love that the puzzle box has sorting sections what a great gift idea for these times well anytime really.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The sorting box is quite clever and unique, Linda. I have not seen one with that feature before.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Poor John loves puzzles too. We have loads of them and swap with friends too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Swapping puzzles with friends is a great idea, Peggy. Makes the fun and value last longer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My mother had a beautiful puzzle of parrots. It took her and her grandchildren weeks every holiday to build it. After she completed it the first time,she divided it into 4 sections, the frame into a separate section. Then it was easier to build and complete it. After she passed away, my daughter was the first of her 5 granddaughters to lay claim to it.
puzzles are always a winner.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A family puzzle heirloom. How special. Something to treasure. Like our family had an old monopoly set. Which is sadly, now become lost.
LikeLiked by 2 people