Puzzles are an all-time favourite game for children and adults — they are fun, utterly engaging, and deeply rewarding to complete. But what if you could add the joy of a children's stacker to a puzzle? Bonus, you get to make it at home in 15 minutes!
If that sounds interesting, this week's Co-Create with shumee activity might be right up your alley. This stacker puzzle combines recycling and creativity to build a vibrant, interactive game for young children.
Want to know more? Read on!
DIY Bug Stacker Puzzle
This week’s Co-Create activity is once again brought to you by Anuroopa, a DIY blogger and mom to 4-year-old Aanshi. You can see Anuroopa’s previous activity here.
Today, we will be making a DIY Bug Stacker Puzzle. From buzzing bees to beautiful butterflies, this game is sure to get your child curious about the natural world! Other benefits of playing this game include:
1. Encourages creativity: Making this puzzle is a lot of artsy crafty fun! Get your child to pick some of their favourite bugs and let them colour in what you draw.
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2. Hones logical thinking: Stacking the rolls in the right order as per the sequence strips will help your child with problem-solving.
3. Sharpens visual discrimination: Identifying the right roll according to the image on the sequence strip will help them learn to identify images and tell them apart.
4. Betters fine motor skills: Picking up and dropping the rolls on the stacker puzzle will hone their finger strength and grip.
5. Builds eco-consciousness: Creating the game using waste materials will encourage upcycling and give you a chance to talk to your child about looking after our planet.
6. Gives a sense of achievement: Completing the puzzle will help your little one feel accomplished and confident.
7. Provides screen-free entertainment: This simple and engaging DIY activity is an easy way to swap out screen-time for something just as exciting!
Making the puzzle
Age recommendation:
This DIY Bug puzzle is suitable for children between 2-4 years.
Materials required:
1. 3-4 recycled toilet paper rolls
2. Cardboard pieces
3. Colored pens or markers
4. Scissors or a paper cutter
5. Playdough or clay
6. A smooth wooden rod
How to make the Bug Puzzle
1. Take the recycled toilet paper rolls and cut them in half lengthwise. These will be the rings for your stacker.
2. On each half, use colored pens to draw different bugs like butterflies, ladybugs, honey bees, and dragonflies.
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3. Press the wooden rod into the playdough. This will be the stand for your stacker puzzle, If you do not have a rod, you can also use a sturdy cardboard strip.
4. On each cardboard piece, draw the bugs vertically in a different sequence. For example, one piece could have butterfly-ladybug-honeybee-spider and another could have ladybug-butterfly-spider-honeybee. You could even have different bugs on different strips!
Playing with the DIY Bug Puzzle
It's now time to play! The aim of the game is simple: Stack the puzzle according to the sequence on the cardboard strip you pick up.
To begin, pick a piece of cardboard and make a note of the sequence. Call out the bug names and have your child pick out and stack the right roll. Once they’ve gotten a hang of the game, they could identify and stack on their own. You could even time them and see how fast they complete all the sequences.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this activity. If you would like to share your experience playing with this stacker puzzle, tag us at #CoCreatewithshumee.
Anuroopa is a DIY blogger and mom who creates easy and fun learning activities for toddlers. You can follow her work on her website.