DIY Christmas Popsicle Stick Puzzle Craft

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These adorable Valentine’s Day Food Pun Cards are perfect for classroom exchanges or small gifts! Featuring puns like “You’ve got a PIZZA my heart!” and “You’re one in a MELON,” they’re sure to bring smiles. This free printable download includes both full-color and low-ink options for easy printing.
Image of Valentine's Day Food Pun Cards including, I DONUT know what I would do without you with an image of a donut on it, You've got a PIZZA my heart with pizza on it, Let's BRIE friends with brie cheese on it, You're one in a MELON with watermelon on it, we make a great PEAR with a pear on it, I RELISH our friendship with a hot dog on it, Let's taco 'bout how awesome you are with a taco on it, and You're EGG-cellent with an egg on it.
A Christmas popsicle stick puzzle that is decorated with an ornament design and is partially put together.

Why this project works

Looking for some fun and easy Christmas crafts for kids? Well, you’ve come to the right place! These cute little Christmas popsicle stick puzzles are perfect for keeping little ones entertained during the holiday season.

I love this craft because it has two fun purposes. While older kids will have fun decorating these puzzles, you can have toddlers piece together the puzzles to make a cute Christmas ornament photo. If you have multiple kids at different ages, this is a great craft to do. 

To make these puzzles, you can use the ornament template provided or let your kids decorate them however they like. You can use paint, glitter, sequins, or anything else you can think of. Once the sticks are decorated, let them dry. Then, mess up the popsicle sticks and let them piece them back together into the original design. You’ve got yourself a fun and festive Christmas puzzle.

These puzzles make great Christmas gifts, party favors, or even just a fun activity to do with the kids. So get creative and have some fun this Christmas season!

You’ll love this project because:

  • It’s inexpensive. All you need is popsicle sticks, some paint, and a few decorations. 
  • It has two purposes. First your kids can make the craft and then they can spend hours having fun putting puzzle pieces together again.
  • It’s creative. For a little help, you can use our ornament template to get you started on a design. For those looking for more creativity, make whatever design you want on these popsicle sticks!

Here’s what you’ll need:

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Supplies

A Christmas popsicle stick puzzle that is decorated with an ornament design and is partially put together with a template with an ornament drawing on it and a pair of scissors.

Supplies notes:

  • Popsicle sticks – Food-safe popsicle sticks or craft sticks are what you need for this craft. I used 11 of them for this ornament project, but you can use as many as you’d like to create as long of a puzzle as you want!
  • Ornament templateDownload our free ornament template and print it out on your home printer. Use scissors to cut it out. You can trace the ornament template on the popsicle sticks to help you paint your design if you are not comfortable with free-handing your design.
  • Acrylic paint – For best results, use acrylic paint for this project. We use a combination of green, red and white acrylic paint with a paint brush.  
  • Sequins – For a little sparkle on your ornament craft, use rhinestones to glue to the popsicles. You could use glitter, but since the popsicle sticks will be used as a puzzle, I prefer rhinestones or sequins since they won’t flake off like glitter will.

Step-by-step instructions

This DIY Christmas popsicle stick puzzle project is very easy to make with a few simple supplies. The steps below with matching photos are meant to help you see the project being made at various stages so that you and your family can make this easy Christmas project perfectly every time.

For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.

Closeup of hands painting popsicle sticks light green with a paint brush.
Paint the popsicle sticks green and let them dry completely.
Hands placing green popsicle sticks next to each other in a row.
Line up all of the popsicle sticks in a row. Tape the edges so that the popsicles stay together.
A hand tracing an ornament template on green popsicle sticks.
Cut out the ornament template and trace it on the popsicles.
Two hands painting an ornament red on top of green popsicle sticks.
Paint the ornament with the red acrylic paint. Let the paint dry completely.
A hand painting an ornament design on some green popsicles.
Once dry, paint white decorations on the ornament and the top of the ornament white. Let dry completely.
A hand gluing sequins on a Christmas popsicle stick puzzle decorated like an ornament.
Glue sequins and rhinestones on the popsicles. Let dry and then remove the tape from the popsicle sticks.
A Christmas popsicle stick puzzle that has been messed up and is starting to be put together by two hands.
Mess up all of the pieces of the puzzle.
A Christmas popsicle stick puzzle that is decorated with an ornament design and is partially put together.
Now it’s time to have fun! Let your kids put the puzzle back together again!
A Christmas popsicle stick puzzle that is decorated with an ornament design.

Expert Tips

  • Make this popsicle stick puzzle more challenging, decorate both sides of the popsicle sticks with different designs (or the same design in different colors). This will give you double the puzzles for your kids to play with, while making it a little more challenging! 
  • If you aren’t using our ornament template, you may want to tape the back of the popsicle sticks instead of the front so you can work on your design using the full length of the popsicle sticks. The tape will keep the popsicle sticks from moving while you work on the design.

FAQs

What age range is this popsicle stick project for?

Ages 5+ will have a great time painting this puzzle as a fun craft. Ages 2+ will have fun piecing the puzzle together. If you have kids at different ages, this is a great kids Christmas craft.

Is my toddler too young for popsicle stick crafts?

Not necessarily. Parents can decorate popsicle sticks for their younger kids to help them work on their puzzle skills. You can keep it as simple or as easy as you’d like.

Photo of an ornament template and popsicle sticks with a text overlay saying "Click here to download the FREE ornament template!"
Image of Valentine's Day Food Pun Cards including, I DONUT know what I would do without you with an image of a donut on it, You've got a PIZZA my heart with pizza on it, Let's BRIE friends with brie cheese on it, You're one in a MELON with watermelon on it, we make a great PEAR with a pear on it, I RELISH our friendship with a hot dog on it, Let's taco 'bout how awesome you are with a taco on it, and You're EGG-cellent with an egg on it.

Valentine’s Day Food Pun Cards

These adorable Valentine’s Day Food Pun Cards are perfect for classroom exchanges or small gifts! Featuring puns like “You’ve got a PIZZA my heart!” and “You’re one in a MELON,” they’re sure to bring smiles. This free printable download includes both full-color and low-ink options for easy printing.
Print Pin Rate
Keyword: Valentine’s Day
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 card sheet

Supplies

  • 2 sheet of cardstock paper, 110 lb recommended, or more if you need more than 12 cards

Instructions

  • Download the printable: Locate the exclusive content box with a lock icon and enter your email address to unlock the free Valentine’s Day cards. The document will open in a new window. Click the printer symbol in the upper right hand corner to print the printable. If you want to save the printable to print later or to send to a local print shop, click the download button (looks like an arrow pointing downwards).
  • Choose your version: Decide whether you’d like to use the vibrant full-color cards or the low-ink, printer-friendly version.
  • Print your cards: Use your home printer or a local print shop for high-quality results. We recommend printing on sturdy cardstock for the best look and durability. In your printer settings, choose “actual size” to make sure that the printable fills the entire page.
  • Cut out the cards: Carefully cut along the edges of each card using scissors or a paper cutter for a clean finish.
  • Personalize: Fill in the “FROM” section with a name and let your kids add their own creative touches like doodles, stickers, or glitter.

Notes

  • To print the Valentine’s Day food pun cards, you will need to subscribe to my newsletter above. Look for the box that has a lock on it and click there. If you don’t see it, click this link. Once you do that, you can click the photo and it will open the PDF printable in a separate window. Click the printer icon in the upper righthand corner to print the printables.

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