Printable Puppets for Kids that Enhance Learning!

Kids are natural storytellers and these printable puppets are an excellent tool to spark their imaginations. Teachers and librarians can use these stick paper puppets and finger puppets at preschool circle time or library story time to encourage participation and enhance learning.

Collage of paper printable stick puppets and finger puppets for kids.

All of our paper puppets are designed by Melanie Hope Greenberg, and are one hundred percent free to print out. The best part is that because they double as coloring pages, they are twice as much fun as regular printable puppets!

The stick and finger puppets below are organized by season so it will be easy to find exactly what you need for your next storytelling session!

For even more fun, make a puppet theater from a cardboard box where your new finger and stick puppets can put on a show!

Spring Printable Puppets

Use these stick puppets and finger puppets to celebrate the joys of getting outside in spring and watching nature transform the landscape from cold and barren to green and lush!

Spring Finger Puppets

Child's hand using coloring pencil to color a spring finger puppet coloring page

Never discourage kids from experimenting with whatever colors they want. It's okay to have blue lambs and orange chicks. These spring finger puppets feature a happy sun, lamb, rabbit in a basket, potted flower, and a chick and egg.

Get the puppets and print them out here --> Spring Finger Puppets

Spring Flowers Stick Puppets

Spring coloring page next to text for a rhyme about five little flower pots.

My kids and I invented a silly little rhyme to go with these stick puppets! After kids color the illustration, cut out the flower pots and glue them to popsicle sticks. Then, during story time, kids can wave them around while reciting the rhyme. Or, use them in conjunction with reading a book, like one of these picture books to inspire a love of nature.

Get the puppets and print them out here --> Spring flowers coloring page

Garden Markers Stick Puppets

Gardening coloring page showing child planting vegetables and flowers

To encourage a love of growing vegetables and flowers, this printable coloring page with garden marker stick puppets encourages kids to think about what they would like to plant. Cut out the garden markers and glue them to sticks. Children can use them to either tell a story or poke into pots they've planted with seeds.

Get the puppets and print them out here --> Garden coloring page

Summer Printable Puppets

Lazy, summer days will be filled with imaginative storytelling and these printable summer-themed puppets!

Fish Stick Puppets

Child playing with stick puppets in front of standing piece of folded cardboard covered in ocean scene coloring pages.

Use the main coloring page as a backdrop (we glued it to a piece of folded cardboard) and then turn the fish into stick puppets!

Get the puppets and print them out here --> Ocean coloring page

Paper Mermaids

Child's hand playing with mermaid paper dolls on top of picture books. Photo insert of mermaid paper doll coloring page.

This coloring page was designed as paper dolls to go with Greenberg's book, Mermaids on Parade, but can easily be turned into puppets. After coloring and cutting out the mermaids and their accoutrement, paste the mermaids to long craft sticks. Kids can even use the mermaids in conjunction with the ocean coloring page background (see above).

Get the mermaids and print them out here --> Mermaid paper dolls/puppets

Ocean Creature Finger Puppets

Paper ocean finger puppets including a rainbow colored octopus, face down starfish, two mermaids and a turtle.

Use this merman, mermaid, octopus, turtle and sea star finger puppets to bring your favorite beach memories to life.

Find the sea life characters and print them out here --> Ocean Creatures Finger Puppets

Pirate Ship Stick Puppets

Pirate coloring page with three pirate mice in three different ships.

Ahoy, matey! Print out and color these pirate mice ships, glue to popsicle sticks and then sail the seas!

Get the pirate ships and print them out here --> Pirate ship coloring page and puppets

Bookmobile Stick Puppets

Sure, your transportation obsessed child is into trains, diggers and trucks, but why not add in some vintage bookmobiles to their pretend play! Seriously, there's no better summer activity than chasing the bookmobile down the street to check out those books for summer reading! Am I right?

Get the bookmobiles and print them out here --> Bookmobile template and stick puppets

Fall Paper Puppets

Apple Paper Puppets

Apple picking coloring page and five stick puppets each made from squares of paper with and illustration of apple.

This adorable apple tree (which magically produces apple cider, as well) comes with five apples to turn into stick puppets. Not only that, we created a "5 little apples" rhyme to go with it, perfect for preschool circle time!

Get the puppets and print them out here --> Apples coloring page

Halloween Finger Puppets

Halloween-themed finger puppets in various stages of completion next to scissors and tape.

Slip Frankenstein's monster, a haunted house, a scary ghost, bat and happy candy corn on your digits and start telling some spooky stories!

Get the puppets and print them out here --> Halloween finger puppets

Leaf Stick Puppets

This fun fall themed coloring page features 5 little leaves to turn into stick puppets. Use our "5 little leaves" rhyme to put some autumnal fun into your library story time!

Get the puppets and print them out here --> 5 Little Leaves coloring page

Winter Paper Puppets

When the kids are stuck indoors, what's better than good old fashioned story time? Why, story time with stick puppets, of course! Here are some fun printable puppets, perfect for the chilly winter holiday months.

Snowflake Stick Puppets

Our cute sledding coloring page comes with 5 little snowflakes to dance about the scene. After coloring the sledding adventure, affix it to a piece of cardboard (see, for example, the ocean coloring page, above) for a theatrical backdrop. This time, you'll have to invent your own "5 little snowflakes" rhyme, though. But that will simply increase the literacy fun!

Get the snowflake coloring page and print it out here --> Snow time coloring page

Gingerbread Finger Puppets

Two sets of finished gingerbread houses and gingerbread people finger puppets

Banish winter bread boredom and encourage pretend play with this gingerbread house coloring page play set. Make a whole village of gingerbread houses and populate your village with sweet gingerbread people!

Get the holiday fun coloring page here --> Gingerbread house coloring page with finger puppets

Reindeer Stick Puppets

Our reindeer pattern coloring page features ten tiny reindeer, plenty to pull Santa's sleigh! Turn all those reindeer into stick puppets for a little pretend play at Christmas. Perhaps they will fly over the gingerbread house and the gingerbread people finger puppets!

Get the coloring page here --> Reindeer coloring page

Heart Animal Stick Puppets

Heat animals coloring page and stick puppets made from heart shapes.

This heart animals coloring page is specially designed so that kids build their own heart creatures! In addition, to the heart shaped fish, owl, cat and pig, cut out the individual hearts and glue together to make your own silly creatures.

Get the printable stick puppets here --> Heart Animals

Want more? See all Melanie Hope Greenberg's coloring pages right here!