Cheap and Easy Storage Solutions | Puzzle Box Blowout Fix

Kids love puzzles. Sometimes a little too much. They're not only good for brain development, and fine motor skills, but they make GREAT teethers, and the boxes are great fun to use for indoor hopscotch.



Unfortunately, the indoor hopscotch isn't so good for maintaining the integrity of the box.

So what starts out looking like this...

...ends up looking like this.

Many of our small puzzle boxes have ended up like this, and got to a point where there was more tape than box. And the fixes don't last.

Also, we like blueberries, so I had a lot of blueberry containers that were too small to use for planting seedlings, and I felt guilty just throwing them out.

It just so happens that a small blueberry container is the perfect size for sorting a small 24 piece puzzle. They're pretty hardy; they're not appealing as hopscotch platforms; they latch closed, and don't fall open when you pick them up; they're not a big as the original box... perfect really. And they have a nice little window (after you've got rid of the label) into which you can glue a small cutout showing which puzzle goes into the container.

My kids love the fact that they're see-through. I love the fact that it inspires them to put the pieces away when they're done with the puzzle, and that they no longer jump on the boxes for fun!

So there you have it. Use the cardboard for doing other crafts, upcycle some plastic, store your puzzles, and feel like you've accomplished at least one small step towards organizing the kids' stuff.

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