And because they are so inexpensive, kids or adults can make multiple puppets and have their own puppet show.
A church in Oklahoma finished their summer program with a service project. After a group discussion the kids all agreed that they should make puppets and put on a show for the kids in the nursery.
The kids were given an hour to make their puppets and come up with a skit for the puppet show. By the end of the hour, they had made elaborate, detailed puppets that fit their interest and abilities. One boy had a puppet cowboy and another made a ninja. The most detailed puppet was a Jedi. Some of the girls had created sundresses for their puppets and one girl made a grass shirt for hers.
The kids were divided into groups and wrote their own skits. One group had puppets from different decades and one puppet was a time traveler. He would go to different decades and each time he would learn about a man named Jesus.
By giving the group freedom to create the puppets themselves without to many guidelines, they were able to express themselves though their puppets. Plus, it occupied them for almost an hour.
Supplies For Hand Puppets
- White small paper bags
- Glue stick
- Felt
- Scissors
- Markers or crayons
- Felt glue
Decoration Suggestions
- Waggle eyes
- Yarn
- Tongue depressors
- Sequences
- Feathers
- Stickers
- Glitter glue
- Fake jewels
How to Assemble Puppets
- The front of the puppet will be where the bottom is folded over. The inside of the fold is the mouth and the actual bottom of the sack, which should remain folded down, will be were the eyes and nose are.
- Color the inside of the folded area for the mouth. Some people add a tongue.
- Draw or glue on eyes, hair and other facial features.
- Cut clothes out of felt.
- Cut tongue depressor in half. With felt glue, glue each half to the back of the sleeves for arms. If desired, cut pants out of felt and add tongue depressors for legs.
- Glue clothes to paper sack. Glue sticks work if applied thick.
- Decorate the clothes and let all of the glue dry.
- While waiting, get the puppet stage set up. The stage could be the back of the couch, a table or a homemade puppet stage.
- Set back and enjoy the show the kids produce.
Making sack puppets is a great way to spend an afternoon and helps kids express their creativity through craft and make believe.
Decorations for the puppets can be whatever is around the house. Scrap material can be used instead of felt and almost anything will work for facial features: pasta, buttons or use crayon to draw them.
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