Teaching With Terhune: PUZZLE PIECE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT PARENT GIFT

Every year I like to try out a new craft that can be used as a student-made parent gift for Christmas. I like to find something that is simple, cute, and cheap for students to make. This year I decided on these puzzle piece wreath ornaments!

I enlist the help of my four year old son Landon to test out the craft to see how easy it would be for first graders to make and also find the perfect step-by-step process to use with my students. He loves being my helper!

The front of each ornament will have each child's picture on it. (Here we used a picture of Landon with his twin sisters.)

The back of the ornament has each student's information such as their name, the date it was made, how old they are, and/or the grade level they are in.

Below are the step-by-step directions on how to make these puzzle piece wreath ornaments. You simply need puzzle pieces, green spray paint, green glitter, Mod Podge, ribbon, and red pom-poms for this craft!

Step 1:

For this craft you will need a puzzle with at least 1000 pieces (or more depending on how many students/wreaths you are making). You can find 1000 piece puzzles at Wal-Mart for around $10.00. You can even use old puzzles with missing pieces or ones that you can find at garage sales!

Step 2:

Find an old carboard box or anything else you can spray paint on. Tape wax paper down on top of your cardboard so the pieces don’t stick after you spray paint them. Next, spread the pieces of the puzzle out. Make sure you turn all the puzzle pieces going the same direction. I like to turn them all picture/smooth side up.

Step 3:

Use a can of green spray paint to paint the pieces of the puzzle green. I make sure as I’m painting the pieces to spray all the parts – even the sides. Let the puzzle pieces dry really well before taking them off and putting them in a bag. If they aren’t really dry the pieces will stick to each other.

Step 4:

Print the wreath templates (found HERE) on cardstock paper. Give each of your students one of the wreath templates. Have them use a green marker to color the circle green.

Step 5:

Next, have your students cut out the wreath template. They will need to cut out the middle circle as well. To cut the middle circle have your students slightly fold the template in the middle and make a single cut. From that single cut they can go around and cut the remainder of the circle out.

Step 6:

Using bottle glue have your students glue a single layer of puzzle pieces on their wreath template. Let this single layer of puzzle pieces completely dry before adding additional layers to the wreath. If it’s not completely dry the puzzle pieces will slide all around making it hard to glue more on.

Step 7:

You can have your students add as many layers of puzzle pieces to their wreath as you would like. Just make sure the glue of each layer is completely dry before adding another layer. I like to have my students do four layers of puzzle pieces for their wreath. For each layer I have my students add a puzzle piece in between the two puzzle pieces below it for a fuller look.

Step 8:

Once your students have completed their puzzle piece layers and the glue is completely dry it is time for them to add Mod Podge. I have my students use a sponge brush to paint Mod Podge all over their wreath. The sponge brush allows them to get down in the hard to reach spots as well.

Step 9:

While the Mod Podge is still wet have them sprinkle green glitter on top of the Mod Podge. They can sprinkle as little or as much as they want.

Step 10:

Once the Mod Podge and glitter is dry it is time to add ribbon to the wreath. You will need one piece of ribbon (about 5 inches long) to create the hoop the ornament hangs from. You will also need to tie a bow out of the ribbon.

Step 11:

For this step I glue the hoop and bow on each student’s wreath ornament using a hot glue gun. I like using hot glue for this step because I think it holds better.

Step 12:

Once you have added the ribbon it’s time for your students to add red pom-poms on their wreath. You can use any size balls for this. They can place single medium size balls around their wreath or they can group a couple tiny size balls together like pictured here. Just make sure your students use a good amount of glue so the pom-poms don’t easily fall off.

Step 13:

Next, it’s time to add each student’s picture in the wreath frame. I used wallet size pictures and they fit perfectly. Just tape whatever picture you would like to the back of the wreath.

Step 14:

Using the name plaque template (found HERE) fill out each student’s information like their name, the year, and what grade they are in. Tape the name plaques on the back of the ornaments.

Step 15:

The ornaments are now complete! Have your students wrap their parent gifts and send them home! These ornaments make for a simple and cheap parent gift! You can grab this cute snowman gift bag that your students can make to wrap their parent gifts in by clicking HERE!

Click HERE to download the printable snowman gift bags from my TpT store!

Another fun spin to this craft is to have your students use puzzle pieces that have green on them instead of spray painting the pieces green. Let students dig through the puzzle pieces finding the pieces that have green on them.