A painted puzzle for kids is a fun DIY project that becomes a colorful toy! It’s easy to create and makes a perfect gift. Read on for the tutorial!


My kids go through puzzle phases. Do yours? Every few weeks, they’ll pull out every puzzle in our house until they’ve conquered them all. I wanted to add another to the collection, so this DIY painted puzzle for kids came to life!
It’s pretty to look at, and I love the Matisse-inspired shapes that we chose together. But don’t let this puzzle deceive you! It’s tricky enough that my five-year-old has to do some thinking to get it together.


Shimmery Paint that’s pErfect for DIY projects
We used DecoArt’s Americana® Pearlsâ„¢ paint collection, which is super fun because each of the colors has a pretty shimmer to it. You want to find a paint that applies to natural wood nice and smoothly, and these shimmery colors definitely did the trick.
I also always try to choose something that has a great color line (check) and is super durable (check) for kids’ projects like this one. You can snag the Americana® Pearlsâ„¢ collection at Hobby Lobby.


How to Make a Painted PUzzle for Kids
Materials
- DecoArt Americana® Pearls™ paint in True Blue, Desert Turquoise, Bright Yellow, and True Red
- Blank wood 9-piece puzzle
- Masking tape
- Scissors
- Paintbrushes
Make Time: 1 Hour
- Start by masking the sides of your puzzle. Take the pieces out and apply masking tape to the borders of the wood.
- Next, replace all of the blank pieces of the puzzle. Apply masking tape in various shapes over all of the pieces, crossing borders of the pieces with the shapes. Be creative! Use any shapes you like. The more that you cross borders with your shapes, the more your kids will be able to match up the pieces when they’re working to solve the puzzle.
- Start painting. If you like, you can just paint each square a different shape. Alternatively, you can mask off areas to paint that are outside the squares. Tip: to create our yellow-orange shade, mix a quarter-sized dollop of Yellow with one drop of Red paint.
- Continue painting until all squares are painted. Gently remove all masking tape and allow the puzzle to dry.




A perfect Gift or Toy
I love giving gifts like this one! A painted puzzle for kids is a fun, unique gift idea for a kiddo who has a birthday or a special celebration. Or you can do like we did, and make it a family project. Let your kids help you choose colors, shapes, and more.
The color palette that came together is so fun and fresh, and I love the subtle shimmer on the paints. These would be super fun for holiday projects too! I’ll have to start brainstorming. 🙂 Have fun! xoxo



This post is sponsored by DecoArt. All ideas and opinions are my very own. Thank you for being supportive of the partners who help keep Lovely Indeed going.

DIY Painted Puzzle for Kids
This DIY painted puzzle for kids is such a fun project! Make it together and play it together.
Materials
- DecoArt Americana Pearls paint
- Blank wooden puzzle
Tools
- Paintbrushes
- Scissors
- Masking tape
Instructions
- Start by masking the sides of your puzzle. Take the pieces out and apply masking tape to the borders of the wood.
- Next, replace all of the blank pieces of the puzzle. Apply masking tape in various shapes over all of the pieces, crossing borders of the pieces with the shapes. Be creative! Use any shapes you like. The more that you cross borders with your shapes, the more your kids will be able to match up the pieces when they're working to solve the puzzle.
- Start painting. If you like, you can just paint each square a different shape. Alternatively, you can mask off areas to paint that are outside the squares. Tip: to create our yellow-orange shade, mix a quarter-sized dollop of Yellow with one drop of Red paint.
- Continue painting until all squares are painted. Gently remove all masking tape and allow the puzzle to dry.
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