You'll need higher levels of technology in other areas for most of the puzzles. Your primary goal right now is to keep your villagers healthy and working on food and research. Children will start to work at age 14, and you should train them as soon as you can. When a villager turns 18, they can start 'dating' other villagers!
The best thing to do is, as you research each new level of technology, drag villagers with various skills around the island to see if they find anything new!