There are a limited number of times that you can remake the same 50 piece puzzle at home with your kids until it becomes a complete bore - for the both of you.
Piecing a puzzle together is a fun activity for all ages and good workout for the brain. However, if during social isolation, you’ve found yourself mowing through all the ones at home, maybe it's time to think about making your own jigsaw puzzle.
There are a few different routes you can follow when it comes to creating a new puzzle.
1. Printing out a template
There are a ton of websites, such as Pinterest, that offer printable puzzle templates that can be downloaded for free in varying degrees of difficulty. All you need to do is pick a few that you like, gather your crafts and kids, and enjoy a day of customising your very own puzzles.
Tip: If you don’t have a printer at home, trace the borders of puzzle pieces you have at home onto paper using a sharp pencil.
How to DIY a puzzle from scratch:
What you will need
- Printer
- Paper
- Cardboard paper (empty cereal box will do)
- Scissors
- Glue
- Crayons/pens to decorate
Instructions
- Print out the puzzle template you want to make.
- Glue it onto cardboard paper (or the grey side of a cereal box).
- Decorate the template using crayons, colour pencils or kokis.
- Once you’re done decorating, use a pair of scissors to cut out the different pieces.
- Muddle the individual pieces up and enjoy putting your picture together again.
2. Re-purposing an old puzzle
Take an old puzzle you, or your kids have outgrown, and paint over it with white paint, once it dries, cover the white paint with your own new design or picture using paint. Voila, you have yourself a brand new puzzle to make.