Create a Puppet Show with Stick Puppets

With all these stay at home orders, I am hearing about a lot of people reading stories to children on Facebook and other venues.  What if we let the kids tell stories to adults and other stories?  Think of how Grandma would feel to have a story told to her from her grandchildren.  And what if they told their stories with puppets.

I am thinking about what I call stick puppets.  These are cardstock figures glued to a craft stick which allows the kids to move the figures around while telling a story. They are fun and easy and I bet you have everything needed right there in your home.

The first thing you need is a story. You could take a well known story or let the child create their own story. The fun part comes in creating your puppet.  The child can draw their puppet or do what I did and trace a cookie cutter figure and color that. 

To make the puppet you need some cardstock paper.  Don’t have any and the craft stores are closed?  How about some construction paper or copy paper?   The puppet can be drawn on that and then glued on some thin cardboard like the backside of an empty cereal box or tissue box.  In fact you can even use the outside of the box as the design for your puppet as I did in the picture below.  This way you are being creative and environmentally friendly. 





cardstock



paper and cardboard

tissue box


Now to hold and move your puppet, you need a handle.  A craft stick or clean, dry popsicle stick works great but so does a stick from the yard (one way to get the kids running outside) or a plastic straw or even a plastic knife, spoon or fork.  I taped the spoon and fork with the handle against the puppet because when I put the spoon or prongs of the fork against the puppet, it tended to lean backward. 



craft stick







twig stick

drinking straw

fork handle

Once you have all the puppets made to tell your story,, you are ready to entertain.  The child or who ever is doing the story might want to practice a few times before the performance.  Then it is time for opening night (or day).  Have the puppet show in person or video tape it on a phone or camera and send it by email or Facebook, whatever way you want it so those not living with you can enjoy it.

 

I hope everyone has fun making these puppets and being able to use your imagination.  I now need to figure out a story with 3 bunnies.  Have fun.

©2020 – Cheryl Fillion