All About Me Collaborative Puzzle Pieces

Bulletin board featuring decorated puzzle pieces and a sign saying, "Welcome to Eagle! You are part of the puzzle!

You are part of the puzzle!  Each student in my older grades (3-5) made a puzzle piece about themselves and their interests.  I should have written:  You are a PIECE of the puzzle.  Or, I could have said: We all fit together.  I know, it’s kind of corny, but the puzzle piece making was fun.

Four colorful and uniquely decorated puzzle pieces with various drawings and patterns, perfect for a collaborative project.

I bought a set of wooden puzzle pieces (the package came with two pieces) and I traced them onto several pieces of tagboard to make puzzle piece templates.  You can probably find some puzzle templates online.  The puzzle pieces in this package are 12.5″x12.5″ so they were too big to photocopy.

The kids traced the template on to their piece of white paper.  Then, they drew their name across the front and added pictures of things that interested them.  One class I had them cut out magazine pictures and the other classes just drew pictures with markers and crayons.  They cut their pieces out, which was challenging for the kids.  We also outlined some of them in black which made them stand out more when up against each other.

Colorful puzzle pieces with various personal drawings surround the text “ALL ABOUT ME PUZZLE PIECES” in bold purple font, highlighting a collaborative effort.All About Me classroom puzzle display featuring collaborative puzzle pieces with student artwork and the word "PUZZLE" in bright letters. Colorful puzzle pieces with various drawings and names come together to form a vibrant “All About Me” collaborative artwork on an orange background.

I think the children did a wonderful job and I love how they are all unique!

Colorful puzzle pieces with various drawings and text, titled "All About Me Puzzle Pieces" on a white background with purple borders.

I hung them up on multiple bulletin boards.  Even though all the puzzle pieces were the same shape, the kids oriented them differently, so it was a mental challenge to put them all together without hanging them upside down.Colorful bulletin board with collaborative puzzle pieces and a sign reading "Welcome to Eagle! You are part of the puzzle!".

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13 Comments

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  1. Hi, I use your great ideas with seniors who live in a nursing home mostly due to ambulatory problems or stroke. This is a good lesson as these folks really do help each other. So I want you to know your audience is large.

    Where did you get your original puzzle pieces? What size are they? What weight paper did you have the kids use? I think regular copy paper might be too light weight.

    Thanks for your thoughts about your project.

    • Brandy, I am so glad you are able to use these ideas in other settings, especially nursing homes where people’s access to activities is limited.
      I found wooden puzzle pieces at Michael’s and I saw them yesterday at Hobby Lobby too. They are 12″x12″ approximately (although I saw they had smaller sizes at Hobby Lobby). We used construction paper weight. Copy paper would be too light weight. Good luck!