Recycled Puzzle Art

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National Puzzle Day

Did you know that January 29th is National Puzzle Day? Puzzles can be a wonderful activity to doImage removed. with a friend, the whole family, or on your own. Some of the benefits of puzzles include: improving concentration, shape recognition, topic-specific knowledge, fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, problem solving skills, self-esteem, and social skills. 

There are several ways to celebrate this fun holiday, such as buying and completing a new puzzle, putting an old puzzle together again, trying out different Image removed.kinds of puzzles like Sudoko or a cross word puzzle. Check out Lovatt's Puzzles for some free online Sudoku, Crossword, and Word Search for kids. For a classic jigsaw puzzle head on over to ABC Mouse by visiting the library's Kids Page.

Another really fun way to celebrate National Puzzle Day is by recycling your own puzzles and creating something new. I don't know of any home with children that doesn't have at least one puzzle that has been done 100 times or is missing pieces. What can be done with them? You don't want to donate or sell them if they are incomplete. Throwing them away just seems a waste. When you think about it, puzzle pieces are just small precut pieces of cardboard with color on at least one side. I don't know about you but I see lots of potential. 

Let's try making some art with our puzzle pieces, we'll need a few supplies first.

  • puzzle pieces
  • paper or canvas
  • school glue
  • crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, or something else to draw with
  • paintbrush to spread glue around easier

You can draw or paint anything you want, then include your puzzle pieces in your art. Here are a few ideas to get you started. These are just some examples, but your art could be a heart, your initials, a large map, a picture of your dog or cat, or something abstract. 

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puzzle artwork S, tree, and flower

You can also make a craft with your puzzle pieces. People have turned them into jewelry, keychains, bowls, frames, or some other fun decoration. There are a ton of ideas out there, check out The Thrifty Couple's blog 16 Ingenious Ways to Reuse Puzzle Pieces or this step by step guide to make a Jigsaw Puzzle Bookmark. Puzzles aren't the only thing you can recycle and turn into art or a craft. Check out these library books for more recycle art and craft project ideas.

 

If you have a hard time sitting still or concentrating on a puzzle or craft you can try listening to an audiobook or some music. For audiobooks make sure to check out the library's Overdrive collection, there is sure to be something for the whole family. If music is more your scene then head over to Freegal to browse thousands of songs and download your weekly 5 free songs. However you decide to celebrate National Puzzle Day, we hope you have fun. 

By SamanthaN on January 22, 2021