This DIY egg carton puzzle for kids is so much fun and a great way to inspire creativity, problem solving, and mathematical thinking. This homemade puzzle is also great for fine motor skills as your child manipulates the pieces.
Doesn’t this DIY puzzle remind you of the game Tetris? There’s just something about it that makes me want to tinker with it and create a design. You’ll be surprised that this DIY toy will appeal to kids of all ages.
Materials
- recycled egg carton
- hot glue gun
- pair of scissors
- paint
How to Make Your Own Puzzle
First, connect three empty egg cartons together to make a base. I would recommend using cardboard or foam cartons. Plastic egg cartons tend to be too sharp on the sides once they are cut.
Next, use a hot glue gun to secure the top edges together.
To make the puzzle pieces, cut another empty egg carton in different ways (pictured).
Then, paint the pieces in different colors. Let them dry.
Now the pieces can be placed on the base in any design or shape that you like.
Learning with a Egg Carton Puzzle
This activity can be used to learn so many things and it’s lots of fun.
- Try to arrange the pieces and fill the whole base.
- Write capital letters on each section of the base and matching letters on the pieces. Challenge your child to match the letters. You can also do this with capital and lowercase letters.
- Write a number or number word on each section of the base and the corresponding number of dots on the pieces. Have your child count the dots and match them to the base.
Do you have a lot of extra egg cartons to repurpose? How about this Egg Carton Dice Game! You can use it to practice letters, numbers, shapes, and colors.
More DIY Puzzles for Kids
We have a ton of printable puzzles for kids that you can use.
Here are three different ways to make sticker puzzles. We used foam stickers from the craft store.
Use craft sticks to make DIY Letter Puzzles. These are great for number identification, counting, and visual discrimination.
Turn greeting cards or even playing cards into puzzles for your preschooler.
Turn square blocks into a puzzle with this Squares in a Shape Puzzle idea.