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    Home » DIY & Crafts » DIY for Kids

    Easy to Make Puzzle Busy Bags

    Published: Mar 29, 2021 by Heidi. This post may contain affiliate links 5 Comments

    Do you have a bag of tricks to keep your kids busy at the doctor's office or during church, or do you just hand your kids a technological gadget? If you want to keep the kids "unplugged," puzzle busy bags are fun and easy to make.

    Perfect for church or the doctor's office, this puzzle busy bag idea is great for preschoolers and up. {OneCreativeMommy.com}

    RELATED: Super Simple Toddler Toy

    Although I love technology, I'd rather not make it the #1 source of entertainment for my kids. When my kids were younger, I always traveled with small, portable things that I could pull out when my kids needed to stay busy and quiet. Puzzle busy bags were my kids' favorite go-to activities. They're great for keeping kids engaged and quiet.

    You can make a puzzle busy bag for any puzzle, but the project I'm showing you today is for very simple puzzles designed for young children (4-12 pieces).

    Perfect for church or the doctor's office, this puzzle busy bag idea is great for preschoolers and up. {OneCreativeMommy.com}

    Materials:

    • Sandwich or quart-sized slider zip top bags. (The zip top makes the bag simple for little hands to open and close.) Do not skimp and buy the cheap bags. These will be used a lot, so go for Hefty brand or something sturdy. I used Walmart brand to remake one of my old, beat up busy bags for these pictures, and there is no comparison. The bag feel like it will last only a few days. I'm putting the puzzle back in the old hefty bag as soon as this post is done!)
    • Simple puzzles (I'm sharing links to some good ones at the end of the post.)
    • Packing tape
    • Photocopy or photograph of each puzzle
    • Sharpie or magic marker

    Perfect for church or the doctor's office, this puzzle busy bag idea is great for preschoolers and up. {OneCreativeMommy.com}

    Instructions:

    1. Put the puzzle together and photocopy or take a photograph of the finished puzzle. Cut it out. (You can also use a picture cut out of the box the puzzle came in.)
    2. Place photograph/photocopy on the front of the bag, and tape it down. Cover the picture completely with packing tape so that it cannot be damaged.
    3. Turn over the pieces of the puzzle, and mark each piece with a symbol or a number. (For example, put a star on the back of each piece.) If you are doing more than one puzzle, this will help you and the kids keep track of which pieces go to which bag. Use a different symbol for each puzzle. Put the same symbol somewhere on the bag.
    4. Put the puzzle inside the bag and seal it up.

    That's it!

    I always kept a few puzzles in my bag when we traveled. As the kids got better at putting them together, I had them put the puzzle together face up, and then I'd have them take it apart and put it together again with the picture side down. It was great for giving them another activity that took more time, and it really helped them look at the shapes and visually decide what shapes went together.

    Perfect for church or the doctor's office, this puzzle busy bag idea is great for preschoolers and up. {OneCreativeMommy.com}

    So, where do you find simple puzzles? Years ago, my mom gave me a box of puzzles that came with 4, 6, and 12-piece puzzles. They were absolutely perfect for this project. (Similar puzzles show up at Ross occasionally.) If you see a box like that, snatch it up for sure! I searched Amazon and found a few good ones that are perfect for this project.

    Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be sharing a round up of great busy bags soon. In the meantime, you might like some of these ideas. The images below are linked to posts. Click on the image to visit the post.)

    Mosaic Turtle Craft for Kids: Kid Tested Fun! {Check out the tutorial for the cute turtles on OneCreativeMommy.com}

    Kids have fun and stay busy while developing fine motor skills with this simple to make toddler toy (OneCreativeMommy.com}

    Do You Want To Build a Snowman? {Olaf Sock Snowman Tutorial from OneCreativeMommy.com} Perfect craft for a Frozen Party!

    Bust the summer boredom blues with Pet Rock Tic-Tac-Toe! {OneCreativeMommy.com} Paint and Play!

    Heidi

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    About Heidi

    Hi! I’m Heidi, the sometimes scatterbrained, but always creative mind behind One Creative Mommy. I'm a retired teacher, wife, and mom of three beautiful teenage girls and one adorable fur baby. In my spare time, I love to share my ideas (mistakes and all) with anyone who will listen.

    Learn more about me →

    Comments

    1. Camille

      May 18, 2015 at 7:30 pm

      I love puzzles! These little puzzle bags are great for kids.

      Reply
      • Heidi

        May 19, 2015 at 8:50 am

        Thanks, Camille. They really are fun for the kids. My girls loved to turn them over and put them together upside down.

        Reply
    2. Kerry

      May 18, 2015 at 10:29 pm

      Ooh!! I clicked, pinned, and was inspired. Thanks for the great ideas. I will put the puzzle busy bags to use this Sunday at church.

      Reply
    3. Nicci

      May 19, 2015 at 9:21 pm

      These would be great for church. Plus, my kids love puzzles!

      Reply
    4. Debbie

      October 14, 2021 at 10:17 am

      Hi Heidi,
      Where is the robin puzzle that is shown from?
      Thank you!

      Reply

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    Hi! I’m Heidi, the sometimes scatterbrained, but always creative mind behind One Creative Mommy. I'm a retired teacher, wife, and mom of three beautiful teenage girls and one adorable fur baby. In my spare time, I love to share my ideas (mistakes and all) with anyone who will listen.

    More about me →

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