Finger Puppets

• 1). Select a specific nursery rhyme character such as a sheep from Baa, Baa Black Sheep, the mouse from Hickory Dickory Dock or Humpty Dumpty. Read or re-read the nursery rhyme with the child. Discuss what the selected character looks like. This should include what the character is (e.g., an animal), the overall appearance, clothes or fur and the shape of the character. Look at an illustration in a book of nursery rhymes for reference.
  
  
• 2). Draw the basic outline for the puppet onto a piece of card stock with a marker. For example, if you are making a Humpty Dumpty puppet, draw an egg-shaped oval. The drawing should be approximately the size of your (not the child's) hand to give the puppet adequate body. Use a shape stencil or a similar template if the child is struggling with the drawing portion of the craft.
  
  
• 3). Help the child to cut the shape out. Cut two holes near the bottom of the puppet for the child's fingers to fit through. These should be large enough for the child to put his fingers into and remove comfortably.
  
  
• 4). Invite the child to decorate the puppet using markers, crayons or colored pencils. Add eyes, a nose, a mouth, whiskers, hair, clothes, fur or any other item that is necessary for the specific character.
  
  

Paper Bag Hand Puppet

• 1). Place a lunch-sized paper bag on a desk or other work surface with the folded side facing up and to the top.
  
  
• 2). Select a nursery rhyme character to create. Make sure the child knows what the animal or person looks like. Refer to pictures in books for inspiration.
  
  
• 3). Create a face for the puppet. Use markers or crayons to draw eyes, a nose and a mouth onto the fold of the bag. Draw the top lip of the nursery rhyme character onto the bottom center of the bag's flap. Draw the bottom lip to the corresponding part of the bag just under the top lip flap. When the child puts her hand in the bag, she will be able to make it appear to talk if one lip is on the flap and the other is on the flat part right underneath.
  
  
• 4). Cut fabric scraps or felt into shapes such as rectangles and squares to create clothing for the character puppet. For example, if your child is making Jill from Jack and Jill, ask her to cut a square of fabric for a shirt and longer, loose rectangle for the skirt. Glue these onto the front flat part of the bag.
  
  
• 5). Add details such as hair, buttons, feathers or fur as needed. Use glue and yarn to create hair for a human character, glue and feathers for a bird and glue and craft fur or cotton balls for an animal such as a sheep.