Cardboard puzzles

What you need

• Pieces of cardboard, e.g. cut from a box A marker
• Scissors
• Paint to decorate your cardboard (optional)

Benefits

This will help your child develop maths skills related to shape and space, as they attempt to fix the pieces together. Their problem-solving skills will also be developed as they figure out how to fit the pieces together.

The experience

Cut small squares from your cardboard. If you would like to decorate them, you can paint them and leave to dry, or use coloured markers.

Once dry and cut out, use a marker to draw a line down the centre or diagonally across your square. You may like to use straight lines but also think about zig-zags and other lines that will mean when you have cut out your pieces they become two puzzle pieces together.

Once drawn and cut out, you have a series of puzzles to lay out for your child to explore. They can move the pieces and see if they can match them together.