Snow Day Activity: How to Make a Nifty Craft Stick Puzzle

Make a snow day a fun day! Let the kids can make a craft stick puzzle. They are easy to create—with a bit of help even the youngest ones can be successful. Puzzles encourage eye/hand coordination, problem-solving, and fine motor development. And, creating their own is a sure ego boost.

Supplies for Making a Craft Stick Puzzle

• Craft sticks
• Assortment of papers, photographs, kids’ original art/drawings
• White glue
• Paintbrush
• Scrap ribbon
• Craft knife

Instructions for Making a Craft Stick Puzzle

1. Select the paper, photograph, or drawing for the craft stick puzzle. If your child is going to draw their own artwork, it is best to use permanent markers, such as Sharpies, so the ink won’t run during the gluing process.
2. Cut the paper as long as desired, and about ½” narrower than the length of the craft sticks.
3. Protect your work surface with waste paper, parchment paper, Teflon sheet, etc. Turn your puzzle picture face down on the work surface.
4. Paint one side of a craft stick with white glue that has been thinned with a couple drops of water.
5. Lay the glued craft stick on one edge of the paper, glue side down. Any uneven paper edges can be trimmed after the glue dries.
6. Leave a tiny space between the craft sticks to allow a craft knife to cut apart each stick.
7. Continue gluing craft sticks in place until you reach the desired length or the end of your paper.
8. Set aside, and let the glue thoroughly dry.
9. With the craft stick puzzle still face down, use a craft knife to cut the paper between each craft stick. (Hint: If you have a complicated pattern, you might consider numbering the craft sticks on the back side.)
10. A craft stick puzzle can make an interesting greeting in place of a traditional card.
11. For presentation, secure the sticks with a small rubber band and add a bow.

The next time you’re stuck inside on a snowy day, enjoy creating your own craft stick puzzle.

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The Bowdabra designer team member, Carole also works with the Create & Craft team on a variety of creative endeavors.