Puppet Crafts and Activities for Kids

Use puppets to put on a puppet pageant or to perform a funny skit or silly song. All you need are puppets and your imagination. What You'll Need:

How To Make a Puppet Pageant:

Step 1: Choose a skit or song you already know or make one up. If none of the puppets you made go with your skit or song, create some new ones to match!

Step 2: Practice holding your arm straight up in the air for long periods of time. Try to work up to 10 minutes -- you'll need the stamina when you put on your show.

Step 3: To make sock puppet characters look realistic when they talk, move only your thumb, not your fingers. After all, wouldn't we look funny if we moved the top of our heads when we talked?

On the next page, learn how to make a stage for the "contestants" in your puppet pageant.

For more craft ideas or theater activities, check out:

Even puppets need a stage to show off their talents! This puppet stage is easy to make and doesn't require a lot of equipment. What You'll Need:

How To Make a Puppet Stage:

Step 1: Ask an adult's permission to borrow two brooms. Lay them on the floor end to end, with the handles overlapping each other by 4 inches. Wrap the broom handles together with lots of masking tape.

Step 2: Arrange two chairs about 2 yards apart with their backs facing each other. Set the broom pole on the chairs, with the straw part of the brooms resting on the chair backs.

Step 3: Prop a third chair, facing the audience, under the part where the broom handles are taped together. Use a belt to wrap the broom pole to the top part of the chair back. Do this at both ends of the broom pole with the other belts. This makes your stage more stable.

Step 4: Throw blankets or bedspreads over the broom pole for curtains. Sit behind the stage, raise your puppets above the broom poles, and let the show begin!

On the next page, find out how to make a puppet out of an empty, dry gourd.

For more craft ideas or theater activities, check out:

Pick gourds fresh from a garden or find them in markets during the fall and winter to make unique gourd puppets.

Pick out a funny-shaped gourd and paint a self-portrait or a silly face on it. Now put on a gourd puppet show!

What You'll Need:

How To Make a Gourd Finger Puppet:

Step 1: Using the long, curved top of the gourd as the nose, paint on features for a face.

Step 2: Cut a hole in the bottom of the puppet's "head" and scoop out the contents with a spoon.

Step 3: Allow the gourd to dry, then use your finger as the puppet's neck.

How To Make a Gourd Hand Puppet:

Step 1: Turn the gourd upside-down, and use the long, curved part as the neck.

Step 2: Paint a funny face on the "head" adding plenty of features.

Step 3: Sew clothes for your puppet from fabric scraps.

Now it's time for the show!

On the next page, find out how to make a puppet using a brown paper lunch bag.

For more craft ideas or theater activities, check out:

Create lots of cute bag puppets and put on a show for your friends and family. Use your imagination and make all kinds of puppets from bags. What You'll Need:

How To Make a Bag Puppet:

Step 1: Design a hound dog. The bottom of the bag will become the top of the dog's head.

Step 2: Color big spots on the bag.

Step 3: Use the crease of the bag for a mouth. Cut out a pink felt tongue and glue it inside the crease.

Step 4: Glue 2 brown buttons for eyes. Add some fringed black construction paper for eyelashes.

Step 5: Cut 2 long ears from black felt. Glue an ear to each side of the bag.

Put on a show, and have your puppet sing "Hound Dog."

On the next page, learn how to make puppets with legs, and watch them dance around.

For more craft ideas or theater activities, check out:

With the help of your fingers, these puppets with legs come alive and dance across the stage. What You'll Need:

How To Make Puppets With Legs:

Step 1: On a piece of poster board, draw an animal or person from the thighs up. For example, draw a bird's head, body, wings, and tail for the puppet shape. Use markers to color in the details.

Step 2: Cut out the puppet shape. Cut two holes at the bottom of the shape. Make sure they are large enough for your middle and index fingers since your fingers will be the bird's legs.

Step 3: Glue on trims such as feathers to decorate your bird.

Step 4: Put your fingers through the holes and make your bird puppet dance.

Make more puppets to put on a show with your friends.

On the next page, learn how to make finger puppets out of felt.

For more craft ideas or theater activities, check out:

With these felt finger puppets, you can put on the ultimate puppet show, with ten characters on stage all at once! What You'll Need:

How To Make Felt Finger Puppets:

Step 1: Trace the finger puppet pattern on a piece of felt and cut it out. Fold the piece in half. Put the felt piece on your finger to make sure it fits. Remove the felt piece.

Step 2: Stitch around the edges of the felt, leaving the straight end, in which you insert your finger, open. Turn felt inside out.

Step 3: Draw on the puppet's eyes, nose, and mouth with fine-point markers. Glue on yarn for hair, or add cutout felt pieces for a crown, ears, or animal's mane. If you want, cut out short felt arms or paws. Glue them to the puppet right above your knuckle. When you bend your fingers, the arms will move.

Make more finger puppets and put on a big show.

On the next page, get your creative juices flowing and create your very own puppet paradise.

For more craft ideas or theater activities, check out:

You can create a puppet paradise using regular household objects or old clothing. Any item can become a puppet. Your imagination is the limit! What You'll Need:

These puppets are so much fun to make, you may have enough ideas for a dozen of them. Take a good look at old pantyhose, gloves, and kitchen utensils, and try to picture what creatures you could turn them into -- let your imagination run wild!

A striped sock might become a sleek jungle tiger. A mitten could turn into a hairy spider. A hand beater might be a mad beautician with a whirling hairdo.

Once you have a personality idea, use the craft materials to turn common household objects into fanciful puppets.

For more craft ideas or theater activities, check out: