15 Fun and Easy DIY Puzzles for Kids
These Fun and Easy DIY Puzzles for Kids are perfect for keeping the little ones occupied – both making the puzzles and playing with them!
For many of us, taking a break translates into doing something that doesn’t tax the mind. It could be running, dancing, or as it is for most of us today, scrolling through social media. However, there are many individuals who think that the best way to take a break is to give your brain some exercise – through puzzles!
I love a good puzzle. I’m the kind of person who’ll stop what I’m doing to work on a brain teaser that pops up from somewhere. But puzzles aren’t just fun – they have a load of benefits, especially for kids.
Why are puzzles good for kids?
- Working on puzzles utilizes both sides of the brain, improving cognitive performance
- Puzzles encourage the development of problem-solving skills
- Playing with puzzles can improve logic and reasoning abilities
- Puzzles encourage critical thinking
- Puzzles like word searches or crossword puzzles improve vocabulary while sudoku improves numeracy
- Completing a puzzle provides a sense of accomplishment
- Doing puzzles together is a great bonding exercise
Looks like puzzles are much more than just a good way to pass the time! It’s no wonder then, that a puzzle fan named Jodi Jill started a day dedicated to puzzles called Puzzle Day, celebrated on the 29th of January. This day is for all kinds of puzzles – jigsaws, crosswords, sudokus, brain teasers, and more. So if you’re up to it, we’ve got a bunch of fun and easy puzzles that you can first make, and then play with!
15 Fun and Easy DIY Puzzles for Kids
1. DIY Wooden Shape Puzzles
This puzzle from In the Playroom is a great introduction to the world of DIY puzzles for kids, especially young ones like toddlers or preschoolers. Once they get the hang of this, there’ll be no looking back!
2. Printable Dinosaur Alphabet Sequencing Puzzle
Nothing like a fun puzzle to strengthen concepts that are being learned, and this alphabet sequencing puzzle just proves that! Great way to help kids learn their letters better!
3. DIY Craft Stick Puzzle
The first puzzles were made by a mapmaker named John Spilsbury – in fact, the first puzzles were called ‘dissected maps’! Thankfully you can make DIY puzzles for kids out of anything, especially with tutorials like this one from Cinta + Co!
4. DIY Cardboard Shape Puzzle
DIY puzzles for kids can be simple or complicated, and Barley & Birch brings us one that is super simple to make, and great for younger kids like toddlers or preschoolers!
5. Printable Animal Puzzles
This Itsy Bitsy Fun DIY puzzle looks like fun – how much time would you need to put it together? See if you can do it faster than 15-year-old Deepika Ravichandran, the Guinness World Record holder for being the fastest puzzle solver in the world!
6. Fossil Day Puzzle
This Fossil puzzle is a great addition to this list of DIY puzzles for kids, especially for those who are interested in archeology, geology, and of course, dinosaurs!
7. Egg Carton Tetris Puzzle
Love Tetris? Then you’ll love this egg carton puzzle from Made in a Pinch! Puzzles like Tetris may be modern, but it seems the Egyptians have been making maze-style puzzles for ages!
8. Hearts Tactile Numbers Puzzle Boards
Since puzzles exercise both parts of the brain, they’re often found to be beneficial for kids with autism. We love these DIY puzzles for kids for learning numbers from Montessori from the Heart.
9. Yin-Yang Paper Plate Puzzle
What I love about DIY puzzles for kids is that it is an excellent learning opportunity for a variety of subjects. Chalk Academy helps us learn about yin and yang with this paper plate craft, but if you’re interested, you can take up the study of puzzles – the field is called Enigmatology!
10. Famous Artists Free Printable Puzzle
Puzzles don’t just teach us critical thinking and logical reasoning – they can also teach us about art and artists! Grab this printable and have fun learning about famous artists!
11. DIY 3D Waldorf Squares
These DIY cubes are great to include in your Montessori or Waldorf learning plans. They’re great for building fine motor skills and for developing concentration, and Rhythms of Play gives us a great tutorial!
12. Easter Egg Puzzle For Toddlers
This Easter, Little Ladoo ensures that we have more colored eggs to play with! These are made of felt and would make a great gift for little ones during Easter!
13. Fabric Tangram Puzzle
Tangrams are a great way to not just exercise the brain, but to help it destress from a day of too much thinking. Crafty Staci shows us how to make our very own DIY version with fabric.
14. DIY Cardboard Puzzle Game
If you’re a ’90s kid, you’re sure to have played with one of these! Well, let’s relive the good ol’ days making these DIY puzzles for kids, thanks to Mixi Studio!
15. Printable Spring Themed Puzzles
Blocks on their own are great as a learning tool, but you can take it a step further – by turning them into DIY puzzles for kids, as shown in From ABCs to ACTs!
These DIY puzzles for kids are a great way to recycle things you already have lying at home and create new toys for kids. There’s something here for every age group, and you can choose a project based on your child’s current cognitive level. Don’t forget to check out our list of I Spy Printables and Printable Color by Number Sheets!
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