Last updated on June 17th, 2016 at 11:17 pm
A couple of sheets of fun foam, some paints and a few beads are all you need to form the basis of a unique kid’s puzzle that you make yourself from craft foam. Use coloring books for inspiration or as templates for the foam puzzle pieces.
by Twila Lenoir
MATERIALS NEEDED:
2 pieces of fun foam
shapes to trace on the foam and cut out (look in children’s coloring books for suitable shapes)
3 big beads
3 tiny beads
Fabric paint or whatever you have on hand
Small pointy scissors or an exacto knife.
What You Do:
Pick out the shapes you like – these could be wooden shapes, hand drawn, or shapes cut from a coloring book. You don’t have to use a Christmas theme – Easter chicks and Easter eggs would work very well, or how about a farm scene or Thanksgiving images? Trace the shapes onto a white or light-colored piece of fun foam. Cut out the shapes, very carefully cutting exactly on the line. These will be your actual puzzle pieces and need to fit precisely.
Spread glue on the back of the sheet that now has shapes cut out of it. Place it on the second piece of fun foam, which should be a contrasting color, like brown or dark green. You can see the brown showing in the photo under the stocking shape which has been partly lifted out.
Here’s the fun part! Decorate the puzzle pieces with paints and trim the edges. Don’t forget to decorate the puzzle board with additional pictures as well. Let the puzzle dry.
Lastly, glue a large bead to the center of each puzzle piece and then glue on the small bead on top of the big bead to form a handle.
Experiment with different themes and make a whole lot of fun foam puzzles.
I made this one for my son because other puzzles made him mad when he couldn’t get the pieces in and out. With the handle it was so much easier for him to play!
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