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Making your own puzzle is easier than you think and you don't even need any fancy or expensive supplies. I bet you have everything you need right in your kitchen! Kitchen? Yep, I said kitchen. Why? Because we are going to make a puzzle using empty cereal boxes!
Open your cupboard, grab that box of corn flakes no one seems to want to eat, pull out the plastic bag with the one bowl of cereal left in the bottom and let's get to work making a puzzle with the cardboard cereal box.
Here are the supplies you need to make your own puzzle:
- Empty cardboard cereal box
- Pen or pencil
- Scissors
- Ziplock bag
How to Make Your Own Jigsaw Puzzle Instructions
The first thing you will need to do is open both ends, bottom and top of the empty cereal box. Along one of the skinny sides look for where the box is glued together. Slide your finger or the scissors down this section so that the box is now completely disassembled.
Be careful not to damage the large flat front and back of the cereal box.
Once you have the box broken down use scissors to cut off the tabs along the top and sides so you are left with the large rectangular front and back sections of the box.
You can make two puzzles from one cereal box using both the front and back of the cereal box! Flip over the cereal box front (or back) panel so just the plain cardboard is showing.
Now with your pen or pencil start at one corner and begin drawing puzzle shapes until you cover the entire back of the panel. This would be a great step for your child to do! You can make the puzzle as complicated or simple as you desire.
If a youngster is going to be playing with the puzzle consider making puzzle pieces that are larger so you end up with 10-20 puzzle pieces. For older children I recommend creating a puzzle with 30+ pieces.
Now that you have the puzzle pieces drawn onto the back of the cereal box panel grab your scissors and begin cutting them out.
This step should obviously be done by an adult or under adult supervision if an older child is able to properly handle scissors.
Go slow and take care not to snip off the puzzle connector sides - you know those funny puzzle shapes that help you match pieces together.
After all the pieces are cut out flip them over and let your child try to solve the puzzle!
I love the simplicity of this activity and I know from experience how much kids love these puzzles. I actually have a collection of about 10 different cereal box puzzles that I have my primary Bible study students (ages 6-9) use when they are finished with their lessons. It is a fun and quiet activity that they really enjoy.
Store your puzzle in a Ziplock baggie. These make great busy bag activities for younger children. Moms - pop a few in your purse or tote bag to bring to doctor appointments, restaurants or anywhere your child might need a quiet activity to keep them busy.
If your family is like mine there are always plenty of cereal boxes just waiting to be emptied and used for a new puzzle. This keeps the puzzles fresh and exciting for the kids. Just when they think they mastered the Cheerios puzzle you can pull out the new Fruit Loops puzzle to challenge their minds.
I love projects that allow me to upcycle everyday items that typically get tossed aside when they are used up. This project is a great way to give new purpose to an empty cereal box that is on its way to the recycle bin or trash can.
Have fun making your own puzzles with your kids! Beware you might find the cardboard cereal boxes missing from your cupboard with just half full bags of cereal left behind as evidence! I hope you have as much fun with this puzzle project as my kids do.
