6 fun craft activities for people who love puzzles

Crazy about puzzles? Us too! But even the most dedicated puzzle nerds need something new now and then. Here are six fabulously creative indoor activities that we think you’ll want to try between your next two puzzles.

Modelling with air-dry clay

If you’ve ever messed around with Play-Doh in adulthood, you’ll know that building little models of stuff is actually pretty relaxing. The difference with air-dry clay is that your masterpieces won’t turn into a crumbly mess after a few days.

We love the handy starter kits from Pott’d, which come with everything you need to start making and painting your own awesome creations (and no, you won’t need to build your own kiln!). Pro tip: start with a simple project like a bowl or a cute animal. Before you know it, you’ll be sculpting your own beautiful sorting trays for puzzle pieces!

Mastering crochet

It sounds a bit boring and is sometimes confused with that game where you whack balls through a hoop with a mallet. But crochet (rather than croquet!) can be a fun alternative to jigsaw puzzles.

It’s usually calming in the same way as a nice easy puzzle, but be warned: there can be fiddly moments that require a lot of hand-eye coordination and might not appeal to every puzzler. You can start by crocheting a simple blanket, and then move on to more complex projects like cute amigurumi toys.

Pouring resin

You know that oh-so-satisfying feeling you get when a puzzle piece slots into place? You can expect more of that when you start working on art projects with resin.

You can choose your own colours (including glitter!) to create amazing swirls and patterns, then pour the resin into moulds that make bowls, coasters and other useful bits and bobs for your home. With a bit more experience you can even make tables! Companies like Mouldd have loads of moulds and starter kits to choose from.

Knitting useful stuff

We think knitting is totally underrated. This yarn-tastic activity keeps your hands busy and your mind calm. And, once you get the hang of the basics, you’ll find it easy to keep knitting while you watch TV or listen to a podcast. Knitting is crochet’s slightly more sophisticated sibling – the one that wears glasses and drinks Earl Grey tea. Before long, you’ll be churning out woolly jumpers for that Christmas puzzling session.

Folding stuff

Everyone’s see the classic paper cranes (like the ones on our CRANES puzzle) but the sky really is the limit with Origami, and with enough patience and precision you can start making legitimately impressive creations from sheets of paper. If you have kids, be able to fold different types of dinosaurs from a sheet of A4 is a legitimate super power.

Cross-stitch

Last but not least, we have cross-stitch – the pixel art of the crafting world. It’s like painting with thread, except each ‘pixel’ is a tiny X. Create anything from cute quotes to intricate landscapes, all while letting your mind drift off somewhere else as you take some much-needed time out. There are literally thousands of patterns available online, so the only tricky thing is deciding what to start with.

So there you have it, puzzle lovers! Six fantastic activities to keep your hands busy and your mind sharp when you need a break from jigsaw puzzles. Who knows? You might discover a hidden talent or two along the way. And if all else fails, you can always come back to your trusty jigsaw puzzles. After all, there’s no place like home. Now, back to the puzzle mat!