DIY Christmas Popsicle Stick Puzzle Craft (Christmas Ornament)

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If you want a fun Christmas craft to make with your kids this holiday season, this DIY Christmas popsicle stick puzzle craft is an easy and cheap craft for kids of all ages and can be made with just a few simple supplies. This is a great activity for kids to do on their own or with a group. It’s also a perfect way to keep little ones occupied while you’re busy with Christmas preparations.

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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 template – Download 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.

For less mess, use leftover newspapers, magazines, or a drop cloth to cover your table so you don’t get paint all over your kitchen table.

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.

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.

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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.

DIY Christmas Popsicle Stick Puzzle

Print Pin Rate

Keyword: christmas

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Drying Time: 2

Total Time: 2 55

Servings: puzzle

Supplies

Instructions

Paint the popsicle sticks green with the green acrylic paint and the paint brush. Let the paint dry completely.
Download the ornament stencil and print it out on your printer in black and white. Cut out the ornament stencil.
Place the popsicle sticks side by side on a piece of paper. Tape the two ends so that they do not move.
Then, place the ornament stencil on top and trace the edges with a pencil.
Paint the ornament sphere red and the top of the ornament white.
Draw patterns on the ball with the pencil, then paint over with white paint.
Once the paint is dry, glue on rhinestones or sequins for decoration.
Remove the tape.
Now you’re ready to play! Mix up all of the pieces of your puzzle and then try to put them back together again.

Notes

Remember to download the ornament stencil printable here if you’d like help creating this design! The download form is just above this how-to card.

DIY Christmas Popsicle Stick Puzzle Craft