Easy DIY Cereal Box Puzzles to Learn to Count

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Upcycle (or recycle) your empty cereal boxes into cereal box puzzles to help teach problem-solving and matching skills, and learn to count while you’re at it!

I’ve been on the hunt for some really simple activities that I can throw together on a whim. This cereal box puzzle is one of them. It’s almost immediate.

I actually didn’t happen to have a cereal box in the recycling bin, so I opted for a cracker box. That’s what’s awesome about this, you can use whatever you got on hand!

I cut out the face side of the cereal box and decided to make two puzzles from this one simple setup.

A puzzle of the picture of the cereal box itself, and then a number puzzle using the backside!

Making cereal box puzzles is super simple!

I turned it over and labeled it with numbers before I started cutting.

Then I simply cut between the numbers to make rows and columns. I probably cut these too difficult.

I wanted it more difficult than just squares, mainly because I wanted there to be only one correct way to put the puzzle together. But I think went overboard with the curves and zigzag cuts.

But it still worked. Next time I’ll just remember to make it a tad simpler.

You could even draw out your cutting lines to help you before you start to cut.

I let Henry have a shot at putting together the number puzzle, counting his way to sixteen as he did it.

I loved this.

Because if he thought 15 came after 11 when he tried to put together the cereal box puzzles, he knew it wasn’t right and made him recount to figure out what it actually is.

But yes, as you can see in the photo below, the puzzle cuts I made were a little too intricate, so I did have to help him along in getting them to fit snugly in place.

He could figure it out for the most part, just not ‘perfectly’ in place.

He was rather proud when he finished.

He has yet to try the cereal box puzzle on the other side, an activity for another day I guess!

We’ve done plenty of other counting and number activities that you might like to check out too!

How do you upcycle your empty cereal or snack boxes?

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