D.I.Y. Name Puzzles

These name puzzles are certainly a hit! There’s no better way to practice name and letter recognition than to use your child’s picture and create their very own puzzle. Making the puzzle is super easy. All you’ll need are large craft sticks (one for each letter or your child’s name), a picture of your child printed on office paper, Mod Podge, a brush for application, tape, Exacto knife or razor, and a black Sharpie marker.

The puzzles work best for children with 4 or more letters in their name.  For each letter line up a large craft stick and then tape the craft sticks together.

When printing your child’s picture be sure to size it so fits the width of the craft sticks. This took me a few tries to get it just right. There are several ways to size the picture. I simply imported a picture of Eleanor into Pages on on Mac and adjusted the size. If you are using a PC, Publisher or Powerpoint will work. After the picture is adjusted and printed, spread a thin layer of Mod Podge along the sticks.

Now place the picture on the sticks and press down. Now spread another layer of Mod Podge over the picture.

When dry, remove the tape from the back and cut along each craft stick with the razor or Exacto knife. Using the Sharpie marker, write the letters or your child’s name on the bottom of each craft stick.

How cute is this! Eleanor just loved her personalized name puzzle.