This person puppet will "walk" and wave when you wiggle the stick back and forth. You can make the head from paper, or from a balloon.
At three feet tall, these people puppets are nearly life-sized for some kids! They can be a self-portrait, a favorite character, or a gift for a friend. They're fun to make--and fun to play with!
For animal puppets, see the "Parade Puppets" article.
Supplies
- 3 sheets construction paper for clothes
- 2 sheets skin-colored paper
- 1 sheet dark paper for shoes
- 1 party balloon OR 1 paper plate
- 1 long cardboard tube (or short tubes taped together)
- 1 sheet tissue paper for hair (optional)
- scraps of colored paper for eyes, mouth and nose
- pencil
- scissors
- tape or glue
- markers
Arms and hands
- Cut one of the sheets of construction paper in half lengthwise.
- Overlap the short end of one piece of paper with the short end of the other piece, then glue or tape them together.
- Place your hand on a sheet of skin-colored paper, with your fingers spread out.
- Trace around your hand using a pencil, then trace your hand a second time on the same sheet of paper.
- Cut out the hands along the tracing lines.
- Place the wrist end of the each hand on the short ends of the arms.
- Glue or tape the hands to the arms.
Legs and feet
- Cut one of the sheets of construction paper in half lengthwise. (These will be the puppet's legs.)
- To make the shoes, place the short end of a leg on a piece of dark construction paper.
- Trace along the short end of the leg using a pencil.
- Draw a half-circle that goes from one end of the line to the other.
- Draw a second half circle the same way. These will be the puppet's shoes.
- Cut out the shoes, then tape or glue the straight ends of the shoes to the ends of the puppet's legs.
Body
- To make a regular body, cut off the top 1/3 of a piece of construction paper. Save the cut-off piece for another project. To make a skirt, turn a piece of paper sideways (so it's wider than it is tall) and trim off the edges at an angle.
- Tape or glue the top ends of the legs to the bottom edge of the body.
- Tape or glue the top edge of the body to the center of the bottom edge of the arms.
Head (paper option)
- Lay a paper plate on a piece of skin-colored paper.
- Trace around the paper plate, then cut along the tracing line.
- Draw a face and hair on the head using markers. Or, glue on bits of construction paper.
- Tape or glue the lower part of the head to the top of the center of the arms.
- To attach the stick, lay the puppet face down.
- Place the cardboard tube on the puppet, so the top of the tube is about in the middle of the puppet's head.
- Tape the top third of the tube to the puppet.
Head (balloon option)
Note: Use a paper head when making this craft for young children who might swallow pieces of balloon.
- Inflate a balloon and tie off the end.
- Cut eyes, a nose, and a mouth from construction paper, and tape them to the front of the balloon.
- To make tissue paper hair, cut the tissue paper into strips. Tape the ends of the strips to the center of the top of the balloon, so that they hang down over the back and the sides of the head.
- To attach the balloon head, stick the knot of the balloon inside the end of the cardboard tube, then tape the balloon to the tube.
- Lay the tube face down on top of the puppet's body, so that the bottom of the balloon lines up with the top of the body.
- Tape the top third of the tube to the body.
Enjoy playing with your puppet!
The copyright of the article Big People Puppets in Kids Crafts is owned by Christy Jones. Permission to republish Big People Puppets in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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