Children get all excited about puppet shows. Puppet crafts for kids let your child not only play with puppets but to actually build them. Puppets are controlled by threads and can be used to narrate stories. It’s also possible to build your own puppet using household items. Building your own puppet lets you customize it according to your own preferences. So encourage your little ones to be creative when building their puppet. Before starting out, help them find a storyline that the puppets will follow. In this post, we have listed the best puppet craft kids for your children to try out.
How To Make Puppets And Finger Puppets?
Making puppets is a fairly easy activity, but of course your kid needs adult supervision, since scissors are used to cut materials. The steps involved in this process are:
- Tracing Out On A Paper: Trace out your kid’s finger on any paper, leaving about 1centimeter extra on all sides stopping just below her knuckles. You would be using this trace out for the finger puppets.
- Cutting Out Color Paper: You would need to cut out two pieces, front and back. Let your child draw eyes, colored beaks, smiles and all that your imagination wants you to on both the sides. She can also do wings for butterfly puppets, a hat for clown puppet and so on.
- Sew Them Both Together: Help or supervise your child to sew the top and bottom sides together with a hem or a running stitch. If you don’t want to sew, you can use hot glue but that could just get a little messy.
- Play With Materials: Instead of using color paper. Your child can also use craft cloth like velvet to create beautiful little finger puppets that are long-lasting.
Super Fun Puppet Crafts For Kids
Puppets have been around for centuries and have entertained people of all ages. What better way to get your child to take up an interest in crafts than by introducing puppet-making? Fun and simple, it is guaranteed that your kids will love every moment they spend creating their own little puppets! Here are some of the best puppet crafts ideas for you and your little ones:
1. Puppets Made With Popsicle Sticks:
This is a great idea especially for little toddlers as it is one of the easiest ways to make puppets. All you need is a Popsicle stick (or a few), glue and a picture or drawing of a favorite cartoon character to cut out. The next step is to apply glue on the back of cutout picture and paste it onto the stick!
2. Puppets Made With Paper Bags:
This type of puppet requires a paper bag and construction paper. Place the paper bag flat with the bottom flap up and draw a face of your choice on the construction paper. Glue the drawing on the flap and the paper bag will serve as the body. All your little one needs to do is place is hand inside the bag and get his fingers up to the flap part to move the puppet’s mouth.
3. Puppets Made With Cereal Boxes:
The first thing that you need to do is draw a line across the middle of the empty box and down its sides as well and cut along the lines. Cut a few openings not too close to the top part of the box for your child’s hands. Paint the box with any color of your choice and get wriggly eyes, buttons, etc. for the eyes. You can paint on the nose, use yarn for hair and create a box puppet just the way you want!
4. Fabric Puppets:
Take two pieces of felt fabric of any color. With your little one’s hand on the felt, make a cut out and draw a puppet shape on it. Make sure that it is big enough to fit your little one’s hand once it is completed. Clip the fabric piece and use it as a pattern to make a second piece. Apply glue to one of the piece’s sides and join the two pieces together. Once it has dried, you can decorate the puppet as you like.
5. String Puppets:
You can make a snake or dragon string puppet using 6 toilet paper tubes, yarn or string, glue, construction paper and paint. Two holes will need to be punched on either side of the heads of two toilet paper tubes. Then run the yarn through the holes and pull it until you have an equal length of yarn on both sides. Now thread four more tubes through both lengths of yarn, with the last punched tube threaded as the first one was and the string tied up between the holes. Draw a dragon or snake on construction paper and work the puppet with the strings!
6. Animal Stick Puppets:
Draw or print out pictures of animals and make a neat cut-out. Stick them on to drinking straws or craft sticks after coloring them with crayons or markers. Your little one can collect these puppets and pretend to own a zoo. Color the animals and you are ready to have some puppet fun.
7. Puppets Made With Yarn:
These require a little bit of fabric, yarn, sticks, glue and a marker or small buttons. Form a small head shape, with cotton wool covered with the fabric. Glue on the yarn to make hair; use it below the head as well. Insert a stick in the center to make the puppet move. With a marker or buttons, you can create a face for the puppet.
Top 3 Paper Finger Puppets For Kids:
Finger puppets are a great fun way to bring story, creativity, activity and fun for your kids in the most constructive form. Here are some attractive finger puppets for kids to make!
8. Rubber Glove Puppets:
If you have some old rubber gloves lying around in the house, it’s time to put them to some great use.
Open up your craft box to your child! She will be delighted to grab some googly eyes, pretty sequins and wool and go ahead and cut off the fingers of the rubber gloves. Let her decorate the socks with any element as her imagination inspires her to.
9. Sock Puppets:
Do you have some old socks lying around that you think you can put to some good use instead of just throwing them away? Well, we have just the thing you can do.
Give these old colorful socks to your child and let her fix them up with some eye buttons and wooly hair. Now, your old socks are transformed into fun finger puppets, ready for a great fun show.
10. Finger Puppets Made With Paper:
This makes a wonderful first-time crafts project for little tots as it is simple and easy. Take some construction paper, glue, scissors and crayons. Get your little one to draw a picture of a favorite animal (or you could do it) and cut out a hole for the fingers. For example, if you draw an elephant, cut out a hole in the middle so that your child can put his finger to make its trunk!
