• SHOP PRODUCTS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Laughing Kids Learn

Where learning is made fun

  • Home
  • Sensory Play
  • Art & Craft
  • Numeracy
  • Literacy
  • Science
  • Recipes
  • Video

Homemade puzzles for toddlers using paper plates

February 17, 2014 by Kate 22 Comments

Here are some terrific homemade puzzles for toddlers using paper plates! They are so easy to make and their level of difficulty can be easily adjusted to suit the individual needs of the child.

Homemade puzzles using paper plates

Possum (aged 2.2 years) has shown a keen interest lately in learning about colours. Maybe it’s a toddler thing. Whilst she isn’t yet able to correctly name them, she is more than happy to have a guess and that’s what we strongly encourage within our household. Some of the activities that we have done in the past to assist her learning include sorting colours with sticky contact paper and with coloured envelopes.

Another great interest of Possum’s at the moment is puzzles! I often will borrow wooden ones from the local Toy Library, which is a good, cheap way to keep up with her interest and challenge her thinking.

Being conscious of these areas of interest I decided to make some homemade puzzles using paper plates!

Painting a paper plate

To make these you will need – 

  • Paper plates
  • Paint
  • Art Smock
  • Brushes
  • Scissors

I love when children are included in the making process as such activities. Of course Possum is a massive fan of using paint and the paper plate made a simple surface for her to cover. It was also a lovely to paint together as mother and baby. 😉

Paper plates painted in different colours

Paint one colour for each paper plate and allow it to dry completely. Talk lots about colour with your child.

Painted Plates cut into puzzles for toddlers

One your paper plates have completely dried, you can go about cutting them into puzzle pieces. For toddlers like Possum, I would suggest cutting your plates as I have done (above). It isn’t just about putting the piece together according to their shapes, but also sorting and matching the colours so be sure not to make the puzzle too difficult.

Presenting puzzle pieces for play

Once all the pieces were cut I simply presented the puzzles to Possum to sort and solve. Of course, the can be simplified by handing your child only one, two or three puzzles at a time. Remember, keep learning fun and always positive

Sorting paper puzzle pieces for play

Possum didn’t have any difficulty sorting the colours. She seemed to naturally go about grouping the puzzle pieces according to their colours before working out how the puzzle pieces fit together.

Putting puzzle pieces together
The puzzle that was divided into quarters (4 pieces) was quite difficult for her but was able to complete it once she was shown how it was to look when completed. Once Possum has experienced playing with these puzzles for some time and is confident to complete it, I will consider cutting the up further to increase the difficulty.

The wonderful thing about these handmade puzzles using paper plates, they are so easily made to suit the needs of your own children.

Would your child enjoy these homemade puzzles? 

Here are some other ideas you might like –
Sorting sizes - toddler activity   Colour sorting activity for toddlers   How to Weave Paper Placemats

Zero to Two : Book of Play

Click here to purchase your download copy today!

Subscribe to Laughing Kids Learn to keep up to date with all the great ideas. 

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Art, Making, Paint, Uncategorized Tagged With: colours, DIY, homemade, matching, puzzles, shapes, sorting

Comments

  1. Debs says

    February 17, 2014 at 9:55 am

    Love simple, doable, effective ideas like this! Thanks for sharing. Pinned 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate says

      February 17, 2014 at 10:24 pm

      So easy to do Debs and ongoing fun!

      Reply
  2. Claire @ Great British Family Blog says

    February 20, 2014 at 3:19 am

    Such a simple but fun activity.

    Reply
    • Kate says

      February 20, 2014 at 4:43 pm

      Thank you very kindly Claire! It was so simple and lots of fun to play with. I also love that they take up no room to store. 🙂

      Reply
  3. ERIKA says

    June 11, 2014 at 6:24 am

    I love this inexpensive and fun idea for a birthday party! This and the playdough

    Reply
    • Kate says

      June 11, 2014 at 7:01 am

      Thanks Erika!!! I hadn’t thought of it for birthday parties but think it’s a fabulous idea. Thanks for your comment. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Deborah @ mommycrusader says

    September 24, 2014 at 5:52 am

    My preschooler saw the pictures and immediately asked if we could do them. Thanks for this fantastic learning activity.

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 24, 2014 at 8:55 am

      Fantastic! We still play with these puzzles. I like that I can just keep cutting them as her skills grow. Thanks for your comment Deborah. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Tashya says

    December 9, 2014 at 12:32 pm

    Absolutely ingenious! I tried to make simple shape puzzles from the paper plates that were left over from my son’s recent birthday party. He absolutely enjoyed every step of it. From the coloring, to the cutting and to solving the puzzle itself.

    Reply
    • Kate says

      December 10, 2014 at 2:24 pm

      So glad to hear that Tashya! Thanks so much for taking the time to share that with me. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Kajal says

    January 27, 2018 at 3:10 am

    Awesome idea. Never thought of that before. Thanks for sharing. Please keep sharing such amazing and doable ideas.

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 28, 2018 at 9:52 pm

      You’re welcome Kajal!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sorting between big and small - Laughing Kids Learn says:
    February 22, 2014 at 8:08 am

    […] Homemade Puzzles using Paper Plates […]

    Reply
  2. Colour sorting activity for toddlers - Laughing Kids Learn says:
    March 8, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    […] Homemade puzzles for toddlers using paper plates – Laughing Kids Learn says: February 17, 2014 at 8:41 am […]

    Reply
  3. LEGO activity for tots - Laughing Kids Learn says:
    March 29, 2014 at 4:07 pm

    […] Homemade puzzles for toddlers using paper plates – Laughing Kids Learn says: February 17, 2014 at 11:09 pm […]

    Reply
  4. 20 {Quick & Easy} Activities for 2 Year Olds says:
    May 20, 2014 at 9:01 pm

    […] Use paper plates to make simple puzzles for kids.  From Laughing Kids […]

    Reply
  5. 15 of Australia’s Best Mum and Baby Blogs says:
    June 11, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    […] Laughing Kids Learn – An amazing site if you’re looking for fun DIY activities. Kate has so many ideas we’d never thought of! Try the DIY Zipper Board or Homemade Puzzles. […]

    Reply
  6. TV Free Activities For Toddlers - kinesthetic-kid.com says:
    January 16, 2017 at 2:29 pm

    […] have a puzzle in your house? Use paper plates or cardboard to create an easy puzzle.  Also by making your own puzzles you can make them as simple […]

    Reply
  7. 100 (et +) activités manuelles avec des assiettes en carton | La cour des petits says:
    May 9, 2018 at 12:50 am

    […] Des puzzles pour les tout-petits […]

    Reply
  8. 5 Proven Quiet Activities for Preschool Nap Time says:
    July 15, 2018 at 8:46 am

    […] – jigsaw puzzles/tangrams, or these great handmade puzzles from laughing kids learn (make them […]

    Reply
  9. Puzzle Activities For Kids - Kids Art & Craft says:
    January 6, 2022 at 10:58 pm

    […] Image Source/Tutorial: Laughing Kids Learn […]

    Reply
  10. 20 Playful Letter P Activities for Preschool - OhMyClassroom.com says:
    July 9, 2023 at 8:42 am

    […] Source: laughingkidslearn.com […]

    Reply

Please Leave a Comment: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome
Hello and welcome!
My name is Kate and I am a mum to two little girls, Possum and Boo. We have lots of fun together learning with play at home and are pleased to share some of what we do with you.
Read my about page to find out more.

facebookpinteresttwitterinstagramgoogle plusyoutube

Search

Find More Great Ideas Here:

sesnory play
art and craft
nummeracy
literacy
Science
recipes
videos

Join the Tribe!

Subscribe



Find Activities by Age

  • 0 – 12 months
  • 1 – 3 years
  • 3 – 5 years
  • 5 – 10 years

Find Activities by Celebration

  • Christmas
  • SHOP PRODUCTS

Privacy Policy

  • Disclosure and Privacy Policy

Find posts by month

Copyright © 2025 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in