It’s another early out day…what to do with the kiddos?
When there is an early out day, the kids need something to occupy their time outside of just watching television all afternoon and let’s face it…kids get bored of their toys and who has an endless supply of space and money to keep buying new ones? I am always on the hunt for new and interesting ideas for projects to fill this time. Today we are going to make puzzles!
Supply list:
- heavy cardstock (or light weight paper adhered to a recycled cereal box)
- scissors
- crayons, markers, paints, etc.
Step 1: Have your child draw a design on the paper and color it in.
Step 2: Turn the paper over so that the design is facing the table and the blank page is facing you.
Step 3: Draw “puzzle piece” shapes onto the blank side of the paper. (The level of difficulty can be adjusted to the child. Start with just dividing the puzzle into an even number of squares and progress for older kids to using random zigzag patterns or random shapes and smaller pieces.)
Step 4: If your child is older and has mastered the use of safety scissors, have them cut out the shapes that were drawn in Step 3. For younger children, this step may be better completed by a parent.
Step 5: Turn the puzzle pieces back over so that the drawing is visible, scramble up the pieces, and now the challenge and fun begins…put the puzzle back together!
Variations:
- Try enlarging a favorite photo and using that instead of a hand drawn picture.
- Adhere magnetic sheets to the back of the pieces so that older kids can stick the pieces to a cookie sheet (this can be used in the car as a travel puzzle while running those errands).
- If you have more than one child have them switch puzzles so they are not putting together the puzzle they created themselves.
Enjoy!
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