DIY customized puzzle for toddler

I wanted to make a customized puzzle for my 15 month old little guy.  Just another layer of depth, if you will, for him as he continues to learn.  Like wouldn't it be great if my little guy can take off the heart puzzle piece and see his Momma?!  Or take off the diamond piece to see his Daddy!

Here's how I customized ours:

First, I purchased a Melissa & Doug puzzle from my local TJ Maxx.  I selected the shapes theme because I thought it would work best with what I intended to do and also because it is simple enough for my 15 month old.  Melissa & Doug is known for their great quality kids products so I felt good bout that, too.  But at the end of the day, any brand or type of toddler puzzle will work for this idea.

Next, I printed pictures of me and my husband along with other family members (like Papa, Gran Gran, etc.)  I roughly measured the shapes on the puzzle and they were all about 2" so I printed my pictures accordingly.  I used Microsoft Publisher and printed on a regular piece of copy paper.  Once I had my images, I cut them out and used a light layer of Mod Podge to glue them onto the puzzle board.  Be careful not to use too thick of a layer or your paper will wrinkle or bubble up!  Once the paper had dried (I waited about 30 minutes), I put another light layer of Mod Podge on top of the picture to seal it into place.  Cause let's be honest, toddlers spill things and drool and I wanted to make sure that everything was sealed and protected once I give it to him to play with.  I let this final layer dry overnight before putting the pieces back onto the puzzle.  

Oh the fun he will have discovering all the pictures hidden under the shapes and shouting out each person's name as he discovers them!  It is essentially another layer of fun and learning for him as he grows.  Plus I can always Mod Podge new pictures onto the puzzle as he gets older--like animals perhaps.