Thursday, December 6, 2012

DIY 'Recycled' Christmas Card Puzzles


Becca here with craft for your kids to do this Christmas Season that could not be any easier, or less expensive (aka free!).  The only required materials to make these fun puzzles are the front cover of used Christmas Cards you've received in the mail, and some sort of large craft (often used in scrapbooking) paper punch.  I actually borrowed a star type shape from a friend to make these, but a large circle or square would work just as well.  Since my children are a bit older, I place 8-10 card front with several pieces punched out each, and their cooresponding punched out pieces into a quart sized zip top bag, leaving them to sort out which pieces goes with which card, and then to rotate it around to make a correct match.  It's actually more a bit more difficult than you would think this way, making it a good challenge even for a bit older than the preschool crowd.  Of course, to make it simpler for the younger ones, I just give them a card or two at a time.  Wouldn't it be fun to use photo cards to make really personalized puzzles also?  We've actually made these for several years now, and the kids still enjoy them. 

This is pretty self-explanatory, but just in case you need a few tips:

Cut along the fold in the Christmas Card to remove the decorative front cover.  The sturdier the paper used on the card, the more durable the puzzle will be. 

Use a large hole punch of any shape to cut several pieces out.  Store cooresponding card fronts and punched out pieces in a zip top bag.  For younger children I give them 1-2 puzzles at a time, whereas older children can handle the challenge of sorting 8-10 out at a time.  Enjoy!

1 comment:

  1. what a COOL idea!!!! I save the pretty Christmas cards b/c I can't handle throwing them away - they're just too pretty! I'm doing this with them!

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