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ThinkingToddlersBaby5 Comments
Does your baby or toddler love puzzles? Your child will love this DIY cardboard puzzle that grows with them from Julie!
We love puzzles in our house. It’s such a fun way to work on problem solving, critical thinking, and team work skills.
Plus, it’s totally hands-on!
DIY Cardboard Puzzle Perfect for Toddlers and Babies
I especially love this DIY jumbo cardboard puzzle because kids can make it themselves! Yup, a puzzle they can make and play with!
Try another fun DIY Puzzles activity we love!
To make your own DIY jumbo cardboard puzzle, you’ll need:
- large piece of cardboard (we used left over cake boards from a birthday party!)
- scissors
- markers, crayons, or paint
Make your own baby or toddler DIY cardboard puzzle!
This simple puzzle play idea was so easy. It took us less than five minutes to create, and I know my child will be playing with it for ages!
Work on matching skills with a DIY felt color and shape mat.
First, choose your cardboard. We had a few of those big cardboard cake boards left over from a birthday party, but you could easily cut a big rectangle from an old cardboard box instead.
Next, draw your picture with bold, thick lines. This will make it a bit easier for babies and younger toddlers.
The simpler, the better!
For younger kids, you might need to draw the picture. Older kids might want to draw their own.
Then, color or paint the picture! My one year old loves to scribble, so I let her color in the butterfly with me.
Don’t worry if it’s not perfect. I promise your child won’t care one bit!
Love art with your toddler or baby? Try this ribbon painting project for toddlers!
Once your picture is finished, it’s time to cut. We started with a simple zig-zag cut down the middle.
The wonderful thing about this puzzle activity is that it can grow with your child!
You’ll love these Top 10 Indoor Activities for Toddlers!
Make a DIY Cardboard Puzzle That Grows with Your Child
Start with cutting the cardboard to make just two puzzle pieces. As your child grows and learns, you can cut those pieces to make the puzzle more difficult!
My daughter loved carrying around the jumbo puzzle pieces and putting them together.
She’s in the “uh oh!” phase, so we made a game of taking the pieces apart, saying “uh oh!” and then “fixing” the puzzle. It was a hit!
This jumbo cardboard puzzle for toddlers and babies is simple and fun.
I love that the thickness of the cardboard helped my daughter to manipulate the puzzle pieces, plus she enjoyed using those developing fine motor skills as she colored the picture!
Does your child love puzzles, too? We’d love to see your favorite puzzle activities!
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carol klein says
I have used cereal boxes to make puzzle pieces or if the pizza box top inside stays clean that works too. I have also cut a picture out from a coloring book glued it on cardboard and let the kids color that and then cut it into a puzzle.
Hannah Knecht says
What a great idea! I love how you shared about progression–starting with just two puzzle pieces and then adding more slowly so that your child can master it each time! And just an idea–if you aren’t very good at drawing, you can google a coloring page picture and glue the printed picture on top of the cardboard instead!