Stick puppets are a great way to give your child the opportunity to expand their pretend play. Stick puppets are easy to make at home and a quick boredom buster when you need a screen-free activity to entertain your child.
Puppet play offers many benefits for a child's development. It engages their imagination, boosts storytelling and language skills, and encourages the type of role necessary for emotional intelligence.
How to Make Stick Puppets
The first method to making stick puppets will use up all those old magazines and catalogs that you've been saving! Depending on your child's age or skill level, allow them the opportunity to make the puppets themselves. It will give them a boost of self-confidence when they see what they can accomplish!
Materials
- Magazines and catalogs
- Scissors
- Craft sticks, or Popsicle sticks. You can also use straws, wooden dowels, or chopsticks.
- Glue stick or tape
Instructions
Let your child choose the photos they want and cut them out. They can choose animals, people, signs–anything at all! Younger children may need help with the scissors.
Glue or tape each cut out image to a craft stick, allowing enough room at the bottom of the stick so little hands will be able to comfortably hold the puppet.
The second method to making stick puppets involves printing out our free stick puppet templates. You will still need the craft sticks and glue, but grab some paper and crayons.
Print out any of the following coloring pages for the stick puppet templates:
Color the coloring page first, then cut out the images and glue or tape them to the sticks.
MORE: Be sure to make our easy 5-step cardboard tabletop puppet theater!
MORE: Save those extra craft sticks for some free play!
Published 2009, updated 2023.
Sherry says
These little puppets are quite the obsession at our house. 😉 Thanks for the link up.
Jenny says
I love this idea- nice and simple, and a bonus that you sneaked some learning in too. Although I'd be happy if CJ happily played on her own with them too!
sunnymama says
They look great! Thanks for the link 🙂
SkylarKD says
Great little activity!