Easy Puppet Show Sets to Make for Children

Puppet shows are as much fun for adults as they are for kids. There's no greater joy than watching young kids put on a puppet show. Never mind stuffing animals and making elaborate sets for the puppets, though - it's not necessary. You can make quick and easy cardboard puppet shows that are as much fun to make as they are to perform.

Most any cardboard box can make a great puppet show stage. Whether the box is deep or shallow, has flaps or none, you can still make the stage for your puppets. Use the flaps of a cardboard box to make the doors of the stage or remove the flaps and use a curtain. The curtain can be hung on a craft stick that will be used as a curtain rod.

Some of your child's favorite tv characters can become the focus of the puppet show. Cut images of the cartoon characters out of magazines and glue them to thin cardboard pieces to make them sturdier. After gluing the picture to the cardboard cut clear, firm plastic strips to make handles for the puppets. The clear, firm plastic is found on any number of product packaging as a viewing window. Dolls and other purchases often have the clear plastic attached to the box.

Cut out popsicle shapes from the clear plastic and glue one to the backside of each cartoon character. Cut slits in the side of the box for easy insertion of the puppets. Large boxes will require longer plastic sticks to be placed on the characters.

As the puppet show is performed kids can slip the characters into position on the stage via the slits in the sides of the box. They can then move the stick up and down to make the character jump, run or walk. The character can also go center stage, stage left, or stage right, depending upon how the child maneuvers the plastic stick.

There are all types of ways to make the stage fancier. Cut the sides and top of the cardboard, at the back, to make a flap that opens up and shows the entire inside back of the box. Now cut pictures from magazines and attach them to thin cardboard pieces, the size of the flap, as scenery. During scene changes the curtain can close, the back can be opened, and new scenery put into place. Use a velcro strap to hold the back closed again.

Making the scenery is just as easy as making the cartoon characters. Cut out pictures of bushes, rainbows, dogs, swing sets and other props. Connect them to the plastic sticks then simply insert the props through the side slits of the box. This makes it easy to change the scene when the curtain closes. Simply remove the props you no longer need and insert the new props through the slits in the box sides.

If you're using a box that has flaps you can easily attach a button and elastic thread piece to close the flaps and hold all the scenery. Place the props inside then shut and fasten the flaps. It's much fun to make puppet shows and to watch kids perform. Try making small stages, large stages and lots of props. You'll have a blast and so will the kids.