Are your children in love with the book ‘Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?’? Then make this matching DIY Sensory Puzzle for them!
With a view craft supplies, you are able to build your own brown bear puzzle.
This hands-on sensory play activity will keep your kids engaged while you are reading their favorite book!
Let’s get started.
How to Make Your Own Brown Bear Brown Bear DIY Sensory Puzzle
Hello! My name is Shannon and I am the content creator over at @Otoole_tots on Instagram. I am very excited to be guest-hosting today’s blog post!
Today’s DIY sensory puzzle tutorial is based on the wonderful book by Eric Carle ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?’
Let’s build a brown bear brown bear sensory puzzle!
Sensory puzzles are great for encouraging fine motor development. They bring a whole new level of engagement to any sensory bin or theme.
To build your own sensory puzzle you will need:
Brown Bear Sensory Puzzle Materials
- Cardboard
- Ruler
- Exacto knife (or scissors)
- Pencil
- Paintbrush
- Acrylic Paint
- Hot glue gun
I am using the paint colors
- White
- Black
- Ocean Cruise
- Melted Chocolate
- Burnt Sienna
- Golden Sunset
Your kids might also enjoy our other sensory activities. Take a look at our new Fizzy Ice Cubes, Moon Dough Recipe, or Playdough Recipe Without Tartar next.
If you prefer to craft, go check out these adorable Princess Crafts and find everything a princess needs.
Sensory Puzzle Instruction
STEP 1: Sketch the bear
Start by sketching out the bear on a piece of cardboard.
The size is completely up to you. I normally make my sensory puzzles 15 inches in length. Eric Carle’s animal designs are constructed of large shapes both organic and simple shapes. Don’t overthink the sketching process, think in terms of circles, rectangles, and squares.
Once the bear is drawn, use your exact knife and cut out the bear.
STEP 2: Now it is time to paint!
If your child is old enough to participate this is a wonderful step for them to join in.
I started by painting a base coat of burnt sienna and then used long brush strokes to add the darker browns and yellow.
I added a little bit more black paint when I painted the face just to help define the facial features
STEP 3: Cut the puzzle pieces
Cut strips of cardboard for the sides of your puzzle. I use the width of my ruler which is roughly 1.5 inches
Take the strips of cardboard and curl them so that they will go around the corners easily.
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STEP 4: Attach the puzzle pieces
Take your glue gun and apply glue to the outer edges of your bear. Then stick your strips of cardboard to the glue to create sides.
I like to do this a little bit at a time.
Once you have the outer edges done you can add some pieces of cardboard to the inside to divide up the bear
All Finished! My twins love to use dyed rice in their sensory puzzles. Or, if you have older children you can dye chickpeas to use as a filler.
To dye rice is super easy. Take a look at our Dye Rice Recipe here.
To enhance your set up Susanne has created some really amazing printables which are attached below! I am so grateful to be today’s guest host! thank you for following along with my sensory puzzle tutorial.
Brown Bear Brown Bear Coloring Pages
If you are looking for more fun brown bear brown bear activities for toddlers and preschoolers get our free coloring pages. They will help your kids learn their colors, and animals and work on their memorizing skills.
You can download your free brown bear brown bear pdf here.
Pin this DIY Sensory Brown Bear Puzzle
Don’t forget to save this adorable brown bear puzzle for toddlers on Pinterest for later! Be sure you are following along with Lil Tigers.
About the Author
Shannon is a designated mom and creator of @Otoole_tots on Instagram.
She has a Bachelors’s Degree in Art Education and thanks to her twin toddlers she has enough inspiration to last a lifetime!
She loves creating fun and engaging setups for them and her readers. Her content is always hand-made with an emphasis on detailed painted items and hand-built cardboard crafts!
Feel free to check out her Instagram for more of my content!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otoole_tots/
Now I would like to hear from you!
How did your kids enjoy Shannon’s fun brown bear brown bear craft?
Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
I’d love to hear from you!