Puzzle advent calendar
Twenty-four numbered boxes with lids. Behind each number is a puzzle: pieces that fill the box exactly, if you find how. The 1st is three big pieces; by the 24th it is seven small ones with a single answer.
Just one project? A 7-day Pro pass is €4.99, no subscription.
How it works
- 1
Open the kit
The studio opens on the puzzle advent calendar with all 24 days built and shown on the print plates. Turn any day round in 3D before you print it.
- 2
Size it to your printer
Set the box size from 48 to 90 mm and the piece thickness; the parts are packed onto plates for your bed. Leave room above the pieces for a sweet or a folded note.
- 3
Pick colours and a puzzle set
Boxes, lids and numbers each get their own colour; the numbers can be a flush second-colour inlay. Four puzzle sets are included, so two children can have different puzzles.
- 4
Print and fill
Download the plates as STL or 3MF, print, put each day's pieces in its box and close the lid. Solution cards are optional — for the parent, or for the 25th.
How the puzzles get harder
Each day's puzzle is cut from a real arrangement of its box, so it can always be solved. The solver then counts every solution, and the calendar keeps the cut that suits the day: plenty of ways to win in the first week, fewer each day in the second, and from the 16th a single answer.
- Days 1–2
- Three pieces in a 3 × 3 box. Every child solves these, which is the point.
- Days 3–8
- Four or five pieces in a 4 × 4 box, with many possible answers.
- Days 9–15
- Five or six pieces in a 5 × 5 box, with fewer answers each day.
- Days 16–24
- Six or seven pieces in a 6 × 6 box, each with exactly one answer.
Reusable, and different every year
Unlike a cardboard calendar, the boxes last. Next December print only the pieces from another puzzle set and the same boxes hold 24 new puzzles.
All the boxes are the same size whatever the puzzle inside, so they stack, line up on a shelf or sit in a tree shape on the table. The number is also cut into the underside of each box, so lids and boxes are easy to match up again.
Printing it
The boxes print open side up, the lids top face down, so neither needs supports. A 0.2 mm layer height, three or four perimeters and 15–20% infill suits almost everything here, and none of it needs supports when printed flat on the bed.
Print one day first to check the fit: the piece clearance and the lid clearance both default to 0.3 mm and can be adjusted if your printer runs tight or loose. For the whole set, plan on a day or more of printing on one printer.
Questions
Is every puzzle really solvable?
Yes. Each one is cut from a complete arrangement of its box, and the solver checks it again and counts the solutions before the kit is built. The optional solution cards show one answer for every day.
Which age is it for?
The first days suit children from about five; the last week is a real challenge for adults. Because the difficulty climbs gradually, the whole family can take turns.
Can I put sweets in the boxes too?
Yes. The room above the pieces is adjustable up to 40 mm, enough for a wrapped chocolate or a small toy on top of the puzzle.
Which plan is it in?
The puzzle advent calendar is in the Sets tab, part of the Pro plan. For a one-off like this, a 7-day pass is enough: build it, download it, done.
Can I sell the printed calendars?
Printed items are covered by the commercial licence in the Pro plan. The digital files themselves may not be redistributed.
Related
Try it now
Pro includes this mode. Cookie cutters stay free.
Just one project? A 7-day Pro pass is €4.99, no subscription.