Want a great shape puzzle for your kids? We got you! This DIY sun bleached shape puzzle is great for kids of all ages like toddlers, preschoolers, and even kindergarten aged kids. Making a shape puzzle is not only easy to do, and fun, but it is also budget-friendly. Making your own shape puzzle is great whether you’re making one at home or in the classroom.

Shape puzzle- boy and girl outside on the ground placing colorful number and letter accessories on construction paper- Kids activities blog
Make your own shape puzzle!

Make Your Own Sunbleached Alphabet and Shape Puzzle

Puzzles are a great way to help kids work on problem solving, fine motor skills, and they’re fun! You get a sense of accomplishment when you complete them! And they’re educational in other ways.

That’s why I like this homemade shape puzzle so much. It will not only promote creativity as your child makes them, but it’ll teach them patience as they wait for the sun to do it’s job. Then they can try to figure out where all the pieces go on the shape puzzles! So much fun and yet so educational at the same time as your child explores shapes, colors, letters, numbers, and matching.

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Related: Check out this easy sunscreen science experiment perfect for toddlers.

Supplies Needed To Make Your Own Shape Puzzle

Shape puzzle supplies- alphabet magnets, construction papers, and sun!
You only need a few items like alphabet magnets, construction papers, and sun!

How To Make Your Own Sun Bleached Shape Puzzle

Step 1

Gather all your materials needed like the magnets, blocks, coins, etc as well as your paper.

Note:

The darker the paper the easier it will be to see the shapes.

Step 2

Place your items on the paper anyway you want. Spell your name. Spell words. Make math problems. Or use the small items to make shapes.

Step 3

Let your paper and items sit outside for at LEAST an hour.

Step 4

Move your shapes and check to see if the colors around the shapes are lighter. If not give them more times.

Step 5

Give the papers to your child with a basket of the items and let them place the items over the shapes left by the sun.

Shape puzzle- 3 kids sitting on the side walk with construction paper and magnetic letters and numbers- kids activities blog
This shape puzzle is easy to make. Spell out any words you want!

Our Experience With Making A Sun Bleached Shape Puzzle

I was inspired to make this Sunbleached Alphabet and Shape Puzzle after reading the post by S.B. of, S.B. Creatively, she took advantage of the summer sun to create a mat where her kids practiced letter identification.

We adapted it to create a few puzzles for my youngest. We created one with alphabet and letter magnets and another with different shaped blocks from around the house. It was so fun! 

I love how the block shapes helped my toddler work on early geometry skills. It was fun watching her rotate the blocks to try and replicate the image. We hope your kids enjoy puzzle making!

Thanks to Nicole of Activity Mom for sharing this post with us!

How To Make Your Own Shape Puzzle

Sunbleached Alphabet and Shape Puzzle

Make your own shape puzzle using simple items. This puzzle craft is perfect for kids of all ages and budget-friendly!

Materials

  • Construction Paper
  • Shapes- alphabet magnets, blocks, coins, wooden discs, etc
  • Sun

Instructions

  1. Gather all your materials needed like the magnets, blocks, coins, etc as well as your paper.
  2. Place your items on the paper anyway you want. Spell your name. Spell words. Make math problems. Or use the small items to make shapes.
  3. Let your paper and items sit outside for at LEAST an hour.
  4. Move your shapes and check to see if the colors around the shapes are lighter. If not give them more times.
  5. Give the papers to your child with a basket of the items and let them place the items over the shapes left by the sun.

More Fun Summer Activities From Kids Activities Blog

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Leave a comment: Did your kids have a blast with this fun summer activity?



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15 Comments

  1. Thankyou so much for featuring me in this week’s post! I linked up from another site so hadn’t seen it! I’m really grateful!

  2. If you don’t happen to have letters, you can get foam bath letters at Toys R Us for cheap! There are also, the small foam type in craft store with the peel and stick backs, leave the peel on and reuse them for something else or use the darkened area as a shadow and stick the letters on offset from the darkened area.

  3. What a great idea!! I teach our the pre-k at our homeschool co-op and have been looking for something to do for them to work on over the summer and I think this is perfect and easy and wont break our budget!!!!!