Church Busy Bag Idea: Make Your Own Felt Puzzle

Our 3 year old son recently joined us in church.  He loves puzzles, so we've taken advantage of the many free puzzle printables out there to help keep him from being a distraction to others during service.  (We usually stick to Bible themed puzzles for Sunday mornings from places like Christian Preschool Printables and DLTK ).  The only problem is they can be a little frustrating for him because as he tries to put them together, the pieces don't stay in place.  The last thing you want when you're hoping to keep a child quiet is frustration, so I came up with an inexpensive idea that has worked wonderfully!


The solution?  Felt!

I cut a piece of cardboard (I used an empty wipes box for this) to fit a standard 9" x 12" piece of felt for the background (can be found at any craft store for 30 cents or less).  I put a generous amount of Elmer's glue on the back of the cardboard and spread it around with my finger so that it would dry smoothly.  I placed a couple of heavy books on top of the cardboard while it dried to keep the edges from curling.  

I measured a 9"x12" rectangle and cut it out with a box cutter.

I spread the glue so it would dry smoothly.

I chose a puzzle to print and then glued it down to a piece of felt as well (glue the puzzle to the felt BEFORE you cut the pieces apart for a cleaner fit when your child does the puzzle).  I printed it on cardstock so that it would hold up a little better and spread the glue around with my finger for a smooth finish here as well.  After allowing it to dry for about 4 hours, I cut out all the pieces and put them in a baggie.


Note:  There is glue that is specifically designed for felt, but it is more expensive and I have not had a problem with mine coming off with the Elmer's glue.  The corners on the background may have to be re-glued occassionally, but as long as your child is not intentionally trying to pull it off the background, regular school glue should work fine.  If you are still interested in getting the felt glue, here's the kind I got with a 40% of coupon from Michael's (or you can get it online here):

For Christmas, I printed a couple of puzzles from the Nativity packs offered by Over the Big Moon and Confessions of a Homeschooler.

Voila!  A puzzle with pieces that don't slip out of place and slide onto the floor every 5 seconds!  





To find more quiet activities like this, go to our More Ideas page and look under Church Busy Bag Ideas!