Easy Puzzles for Kids

Puzzles are lots of fun, but they can be a tricky toy to master. This activity is a great introduction for kids who aren't quite ready for the real puzzles yet. You'll make your own puzzles out of thin sponge cloth, and you'll make outlines for each puzzle you create. Your child will be able to start off using the outline to put the puzzles together, and as she gets the hang of it, she'll soon be doing them all on her own!

What You Need:

• Sponge cloth
• Card stock
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Broad Marker

What You Do:

1. Outline shapes on the sponges that measure approximately 2.5" by 4". You can make a teddy bear, a bird, a car, a house, or anything else you can think of that's easy to outline and recognize.
2. Carefully cut out the shapes.
3. Cut the card stock so that it is in a rectangle slightly bigger than your sponge shapes, one piece for each shape. Then, use a pencil to lightly outline the shapes on the card stock. This sheet will be a guide for your child.
4. Now, use a ruler to draw lines on the sponges, splitting each puzzle into three pieces. Split up the pieces however you like, but try to make them varying sizes and shapes. For example, if one of the shapes you drew was a teddy bear, you could make the bear's head into one puzzle piece, then cut the body in half to make the remaining two pieces.
5. On the card stock, draw lines in pencil to indicate where the puzzle is split up into pieces. Then trace everything with a thick black marker, using a ruler where needed. Laminate, if desired.
6. You're done! Give your child the sponge puzzles and the guides, and encourage her to fit the puzzles together to make a shape!

Once she's gotten the hang of it, challenge her to put the puzzles together without the guides. This is her first step towards doing real puzzles on her own!