Creating a Puppet Show with Your Child

Puppet shows can be enjoyed by both kids and their parents. It is a great joy to watch young kids put on a puppet show - the experience is fantastic. You do not need to labor too hard or spend too much money for this simple enjoyment either. A quick and simple cardboard puppet show will be as much fun to make as it will be to perform. Any cardboard box can be used for making a fine puppet show stage. It does not matter too much if the box is deep or shallow, has flaps or none; one can still make the stage for your puppets. You can use the flaps of a cardboard box to make the doors of the stage or just remove the flaps and use a curtain. The curtain can be hung on a craft stick that can function as a curtain rod.

If you know who your child's favorite TV characters are, you can make them the focus of the puppet show. Cut images of the cartoon characters out of magazines or newspapers and glue them to thin cardboard pieces so that they become sturdier. Once the picture is glued to the cardboard cut clear, firm plastic strips which will function as handles for the puppets. You can find such clear, firm plastic on any number of product packaging as a viewing window. Dolls and other gift purchases often have the clear plastic attached to the box.

The next step consists of cutting out popsicle shapes from the clear plastic and gluing one to the backside of each cartoon character. Cut slits in the side of the box so that the puppets can be inserted smoothly and easily. If you have large boxes, you will need longer plastic sticks to be placed on the characters. During the show, kids can slip the characters into position on the stage via the slits made in the sides of the box. They can then move the stick up and down to make the characters jump, run or walk. The movement of a character will depend on how the kid maneuvers the plastic stick.

You can make the stage fancier in various ways. For example, cut the sides and top of the cardboard, at the back, and make a flap that opens up and shows the entire inside back of the box. Now cut pictures from magazines or newspapers and attach them to thin cardboard pieces, the size of the flap, to act as scenery. When there is a change of scene, the curtain can close, the back can be opened, and new scenery put into place. Like the cartoon characters, it is easy to make the scenery as well. Cut out pictures of bushes, rainbows, dogs, swing sets and other props that you feel work with the scene. Connect them to the plastic sticks and simply insert the props through the side slits of the box. This makes changing the scene easier. Just remove the props you no longer need and insert the new props through the slits in the box sides.

With these simple steps, you and your child can create a puppet show that will be fun and stimulate their imagination.