Children of the 80’s, get ready to swoon! This vibrant Tetris Inspired Puzzle forms a perfect square when solved! It has more than one solution, and the pieces can also be used as blocks.

Kids will have a blast creating this puzzle for a brother, sister, or video game loving friend.

How to Make a Tetris Inspired Puzzle for Kids

I used liquid watercolors to create the colorful blocks you see, but if you have the time and patience, acrylic paints could easily be substituted.

To Make This Craft You Will Need

• 48 1″ wood blocks
• liquid watercolor paints or acrylic paints
• glue gun or glue gun
• containers to hold watercolors
• paintbrushes (if using acrylic paints)
• tongs
• Mod Podge (optional)

Directions

1. Soak the blocks in liquid watercolors. (Skip this step and begin with step 2 if using acrylic paints.)

You can color each block individually in small jars, or you can color all of the blocks needed for each color at once in a larger container. Use tongs to remove the blocks from the watercolor paint and allow them to dry on an old towel or rag.

The shapes and colors used for this project are as follows:

• “S” shape = yellow-orange (8 blocks)
• “I” shape = fuchsia (4 blocks)
• “L” shape = blue-violet (12 blocks)
• “T” shape = yellow-green (8 blocks)
• Square shape = red-violet (4 blocks)

2. Glue blocks into Tetris-inspired shapes. Each shape consists of four 1″ blocks glued together.

Make sure to press the blocks together firmly and lay them down to make sure they are tight and flush before moving on to the next shape. You will need:

• 2 “S” shaped blocks
• 1 “I” shaped block
• 3 “L” shaped blocks
• 2 “T” shaped blocks
• 1 square shaped block

3. (Skip this step if using liquid watercolor paints.) Paint the shapes with acrylic paints and allow them to dry.

4. If desired, use a brush to paint the shapes with Mod Podge. This will seal and protect the wood.

This Tetris Inspired Puzzle is so much fun for kids! They can attempt to solve the puzzle by forming a perfect square, or they can use the pieces as blocks. Both options provide hours of learning fun!

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Hi! My name is Nell Regan Kartychok. I believe in the magic of childhood, the power of our dreams, spending more time outdoors than indoors, and making this world a greener place to live. I am the creator of Rhythms of Play—where parents can find simple tips, crafts and activities to keep the kids busy all day.