10 great puppet ideas

When I was a kid, my twin sister and I would hide ourselves behind the sofa, raise up our puppet-covered arms, and put on shows for our patient parents. We had several store-bought characters, but for our wilder screenplays, we'd build our own puppets from paper, tape, and popsicle sticks -- pretty crude stuff compared to these ten projects from ten great blogs. I've posted them in order of skill level, from easy to more advanced. Of course, this is my subjective ranking: you can always choose to spend a couple of hours perfecting your paper bag persona, or make a simpler sock puppet with just buttons and fabric glue.  Click on each image for complete directions.
P. S. If a behind-the-sofa setup doesn't work for your production, make a simple theater from a cardboard box (see a charming example here.)

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Doesn't get much easier than La-de-la-de-da's big-eye rings, which turn your hand into the "puppet." Tons of silliness are sure to ensue.

These friendly monsters, made by preschoolers, are an appealingly vibrant example of the classic paper bag puppet. This set is from Sarah Punkoney at Stay at Home Educator.

I have a niece who is into all things dragonish, so she'd be totally into these scaly subjects by Learn with Play at Home. Each one is made from a single paper plate.

OM NOM NOM NOM! I can picture these mischievous creatures from Small Fry doing a lot of talking, but even more biting and eating (just be sure to keep them on a finger-free diet).

Pop-up puppets are a classic children's toy. This version from Highlights has a vintage feel (those eyelashes!) that I  love.

Little Monster Blog created these little guys, which are made with painted wine corks. I love their style and their soft pom-pom bodies!

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If you don't already know about the amazing Mr. Printables, go there right now. I mean it -- that's an order. Mr. P has loads of gorgeous free printable projects, such as these cleverly-designed bird finger puppets.

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These fox sock puppets are, appropriately enough, inspired by Dr. Seuss's Fox in Socks. So darn cute! (See what I did there, with the "darn" and the "socks"...?) Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional posted this how-to over at Paging Supermom.

I had a store-bought version of this marionette in the *cough* 1980s, and I loved walking it all over the house. Doodle Craft came up with a homemade version that's super charming.

It's Always Autumn's snapping monsters seem to be evolutionary cousins to the clothespin Nommers above. The jaws lunge forward, thanks to a surprisingly simple mechanism. Older kids will love this one.

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Do you have a favorite puppet craft I missed? Share it in the comments below!
xo