This puzzle is best suited for children who are beginning to learn the alphabet. Get a large piece of stiff cardboard and glue a large sheet of white paper to it. Divide the sheet into 26 puzzle piece-shaped sections that are nearly equal in size. Use a pencil for rough work, then retrace with a permanent marker. Use different colored markers to put the letters of the alphabet in the pieces, in order. Cut them out. You now have an alphabet puzzle for your students. As they learn the sequence of the letters, they can complete the puzzle more quickly.
Glue a large piece of paper to a large piece of stiff cardboard. Write a short story using few words or a sequence of sentences across the paper. Cut the words of story or sentence sequence into puzzle-shaped pieces. If the puzzle is for younger kids, cut it into a small number of large pieces. If it is for older students, cut it into a large number of small pieces.
This idea can encourage literacy by asking students to create their own puzzles. Have a student read a story and choose his or her favorite scene. Ask the child to draw the scene on a large piece of paper. Provide colored markers and help by asking him or her to emphasize the most important part of the scene and, if possible, to write a caption. Glue the paper to stiff cardboard and cut it into puzzle pieces to encourage a student's reading comprehension.
Have a student assemble a store-bought floor puzzle. Choose one that illustrates a scene with action. Once completed, ask the child to imagine what is taking place in the scene. What has just happened? What happens next? If there are people or animals in the puzzle, what might they saying or thinking? Have the child write this down as a story.