A mitten-shaped puppet promotes hands-on fun and creativity with preschoolers. The puppet is easy to make and fun to use for pretend play.

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Puppets are a wonderful addition to your toolkit for promoting imaginative play. Homemade puppets are especially beneficial because kids get to be creative with their characters.

In this craft, two mitten shapes cut from craft foam are laced together to form a puppet. Craft foam is a nice material for a puppet as it is flexible and durable, and has a soft texture. It's easy to work with and comes in a variety of colors.

The puppets kids make can represent family or friends, animals or pets, or become completely made-up characters.

The words and actions in the stories kids create for their puppets support language skills and social interactions.

Easy puppet craft for kids 

This foam puppet is fun to make with everyday craft materials.

The options to personalize your puppet are endless. Each puppet will have a unique character according to the accessories added by kids.

 Related: Cardboard box puppet theater

Supplies for puppet craft

• craft foam sheet
  
  
• shoelace
  
  
• hole punch

Materials for finishing a puppet will vary depending on the imagination of the puppet maker.

• Yarn for hair
  
  
• Craft eyes
  
  
• Markers for drawing facial features
  
  

Instructions for making a craft foam puppet

1. Trace your hand (or your child's hand) onto newspaper or plain paper to make a template for the mitten puppet. 

Cut out the template. The template should be slightly larger than your child's hand.

2. Transfer the pattern onto the foam sheet with chalk. Cut out the foam mitten shape.

3. Hole punch the mitten pattern first to use as a template. You will need an even number of holes.

4. Place the template onto the foam mitten cutout. Transfer the positions of the holes to the foam mitten with a pencil or marker. Hole punch around both foam mitten cutouts. 

Puppets and theaters on Puppets Pinterest board.

5. Lace the two sides together with a shoe lace or narrow ribbon. Lacing activities strengthen fine motor skills, and focus attention on small details.

6. Finish your puppet with craft eyes, foam cut-outs or any other craft materials you have on hand, or draw features with colored markers.

Role-play familiar and made-up stories with your new newly created characters. 

Need an easy puppet theatre?

Set two or three chairs side by side. Drape a blanket or sheet over the chairs. Kids stand or crouch behind the makeshift theatre curtain. 

Enjoy the stories your preschoolers create with their characters.