Puppets, Plays & Scripts, Templates and Cubes

I have had LOTS of fun putting this page together. If you want to make puppets, you can use some coloring pages or patterns to make them. You can use paper bags or craft sticks. If they are too large for stick puppets, reduce the size of them. You can use puppets to tell a story, rhyme, fingerplay, sing a song, or to play with. I plan on using lots of these links and the ideas I have come up with with my children. Children learn best with visual aids. Enjoy making puppets with your children, grandchildren, or students!

My Puppet Ideas

Animal Puppet
Look at a photo of a animal (or use a real animal).

Have children make the different shapes to create their own animal. (I came up with this idea when my daughter was 5 years old. She wanted me to print a dog puppet out but I told her she could make it herself - not knowing if she could and she did it.)

Here are some basic instructions: Make a circle (or oval) for the head. Make ears. Draw a circle for the mouth. Glue it on the circle (or oval). Draw eyes and add other features of the animal on the circle (or oval). Glue the ears on. Tape on a craft stick or glue onto a paper bag.

Pinch Animal Puppet
Take a 9x12" piece of construction paper. Fold in in thirds widthwise. Fold it in half (the open ends). Fold one side over towards the middle. Repeat again. (This will make a "M" shape.) You can tape the open ends together in the middle. Decorate to make any animal using paper, pencils, etc. Make your puppet talk.

Envelope Pinch Dog (Puppy) Puppet
Take a small or large mailing envelope and cut both ends to the bottom of the envelope. Seal it. Let dry some. Fold it in half. Fold one side over towards the middle. Repeat again. (This will make a "M" shape.) You can tape the open ends together in the middle. Decorate to make your animal using paper, pencils, etc. Make your puppet talk.

My Pages With Puppet Ideas
Bear Theme
Easter & Spring Themes: Chick Puppet
Farm Theme: Duck
Fish Theme
Lesson Ideas Using Music From Saint-Saens & Moussorgsky The Aquarium (fish), The Kangaroo, The Elephant, and Ballet of the Chickens in Their Shells.
Insect & Bug Themes: Fly
Old MacDonald Had A Farm
Frog Puppets & Song
The Letter Gg: Goose, Gorilla, Guinea Pig
Mouse Theme: Puppet
The Letter Ww: Walrus, Watermelon, Weaver, and Whale
The Flight of the Bumble Bee
Paper Bag Puppets: Alligator, duck, pig

Templates (Patterns)
These can be used as puppets.

Themes You can make your own puppets from coloring pages, templates, or patterns.

Viewers Links
CCES Puppet Scripts New 10/22/07

Puppet Links
ABC Teacher's Outlet - Free Activity Pages
Tooth puppet, groundhog puppet, Halloween finger puppets, jack-o-lantern puppets (2), and skull puppet.
BBC Education - Teletubbies - Print and Play Sock Puppets These animals (butterfly, penguin, snake, frog, giraffe, flamingo, elephant, and tiger can be placed on craft sticks instead of socks.
Color Me Kids! Finger Puppets
Clown, dolphin, circus elephant, fish, frog, giraffes, monkeys, and unicorn
Crafts & Activities for the Chinese New Year @ Web Holidays
Dragon Puppet and Golden Snake Puppet.
Boy Blue Puppet
Coloring Book & Puppets @ Franklin Haynes Marionettes
Danielle's Place: Animal Crafts - Cow Paper Bag Puppet
Danielle's Place: Puppets
Sock puppets, black bird, frog, bear, pig, spider, and sheperds.
Dinosaur Finger Puppets
A brontosaurus, stegosaurus, tyrannosaurus, and triceratops.
Disney.go: Finger Puppet Search Results
DLTK-Kids Rhyme Index
DLTK's Franklin the Tutle Craft (toilet paper or finger puppet)
DLTK's Paper Bag Crafts (Puppets)
Bear, bunny, clown, frog, kangaroo, princess, reindeer, and wolf.
DLTK- Crafts for Kids
Any of their toilet paper crafts can be used a puppets.
FamilyFun: Six Homemake Puppets
Direction how to make six types of puppets. Sock Puppits: rabbit, dragon, elephant, and horse; Finger Puppets: horse, birds, spotted heifer (cows), pig, woolly lamb, lion, and frog; Paper Puppets: dog, lion, bug or deer, piglet, and alligator; Puppet faces using papeir-mache; Shadow Puppets: use a pattern, (cut separate pieces for moveable parts), a hole puncher, metal brads, and straws (or craft sticks); Vegetable Puppets; and Paper Plate Puppet: frog.
Finger Plays (and Finger Puppets) @ about.com
101 Dalmations Finger Puppets, Marathon Runner Finger Puppet, Merpy Finger Puppets, Scottish Dancer Finger Puppet, the others are on this page
Garden Friend Puppets @ Activity Village
Hedgehog, mole, squirrel
Ghost Hand Puppet
Hoiho's Chicks: Predatoar Finger Puppets
Cat, dog, and rat.
How To Make Your Own Paper Puppet @Puppetworks.org
A witch puppet.
Jan Brett's: Puppets Town Mouse Country Mouse
Kids Carnival Finger Puppets
Soldiers, queen, king, etc.
Lamb & Lion Puppets @ frugal-moms.com
North Star Stick Puppets Puppets to go with the story. It has: boys, girls, cat, frog, rabbit, boat, and a blank puppet (to draw yourself).
Owl Hand Puppet
Pinellas Park Public Library Activity Page: Medieval Finger Puppets
A princess, a prince, a dragon and a witch.
"Shh ... It's Time for Prayer" - Friend November 1984
Fingerpuppets of a duck, bunny, and mouse to use with a poem to get ready for prayer.
Note: You can just use the puppets.
The Puppetry Home Page - Puppetry Building and Building Materials
PBS: Tots TV - Making Puppets (and patterns)
Puppet Craft Projects @ about.com
Lots of different ones! Animals, pilgrims, etc.
Puppet Pals
Pig, lamb, duck, and bunny.
Puppet Pattern for hand puppets
Monkey and raccoon.
Puppets To Make @ Sunnie Bunniezz
Paper bag puppets including these: elephant, cat, monkey, and a bunny puppets. They have plays to go with the puppets.
Puppetpatterns.com: Free Fox Pattern
Puppets and Marionettes @ EnchantedLearning.com
Paper Finger Puppet Craft - Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater, Dinosaurs,
Paper Plate: ladybug or butterfly, Paper Bag Puppets: dog, panda, raccoon, pig, cat, frog, or mouse puppet, dancing dragon or lion toy, paper frog puppet, paper chain caterpillar puppet, Marionettes: ballerina, and leprechaun.
I'm an Animal, So Are You @ Sea World
Penguin, killer whale, sea lion and stingray.
To go with: Little Penguin Finds His Way Home Story
Manatees and Their Homes @ Sea World
Treetures Finger Puppets

Plays & Scripts
Some of these links you won't be able to make the puppet to go with the script.
Kidology: Puppetry (scripts)
Puppet Scripts
Puppets To Make @ Sunnie Bunniezz
Paper bag puppets including these: elephant, cat, monkey, and a bunny puppets. They have plays to go with the puppets.

These can be used as puppets.

Templates (Patterns)

Go to Miscellaneous Themes and there might be some patterns there.
Animal Wrappers @ Sea World
Shark, sea lion, and penguin outlines of different sizes.
Bry-Back Manor: The Attic
Calendar pieces under "Newsletter Bonuses"
Cyberkids: Shape Patterns
Castle, cat, goose or swan, rectangle, Hannukah shapes, and Christmas shapes (snowman, Christmas tree, angel, etc.)
Fruit Shapes @ Land Far Away
Land Far Away Unit Patterns (African)
Hut, giraffe, elephants, I have the corrected large elephant on my Letter Ee page.
Preschool Express: Pattern Station by Jean Warren
She has new FREE patterns and activities each month. Includes: gingerbread, tree, turkey, house, pumpkin, cat, apple, school bus, dinosaur, cactus, fish, turtle, butterfly, ladybug, flower, and bird.
Printables - Templates @ Activity Village
Halloween, party hat, 1: boat, hearts, bird, apple, & pear, 2: shapes, 3: airplane, train, & car, 4: heart & Christmas tree, 5: shapes & a fish or whale, 6: gingerbread man or man, 7: butterfly, star, & watering can, 8: fish & star fish, and flowers. Use some of these for stick puppets.
Summer butterflies! @ Activity Village
Use these are stick puppets or for coloring.
TeachNow.com Use the smaller "Sample Patterns". (You might want to make them smaller.)
Some of the links at Puppet Theme might work as templates.

Cube Patterns
Cube Pattern
Sanford & A Lifetime of Color's Art Education Resources: Cube
Teachers Use of Fiordland's Secrets: Cube it! One with animals and one blank