PUPPETRY ACTIVITIES

FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

AND FAMILIES

Puppet by Artist Aleks Molina, age 3, and their family

Cardinal McCloskey Head Start
INTRODUCTION
This document is a curriculum planning resource for educators, created by the New York
Early Childhood Professional Development Institute’s team of early childhood coaches.
It can be used in classroom, home-based, distance-learning, or family engagement
group settings.
Puppet making can be an open exploration of creativity and play-based imagination.
It offers a fun way for children and adults to interact, connect with stories, and explore
their own and story characters’ relationships. Children can use any material available
to them and children and adults can make anything they want – their only limitation is
their imaginations.
We look forward to hearing how you use this resource and your feedback. You can
contact us directly at questions@earlychildhoodny.org.

ACTIVITY 1
Children and caregivers create a puppet.
Books Stories that feature interesting characters in relationships include:
Sheila Ray, The Brave by Kevin Henkes : Sheila Ray is a mouse who believes herself to
be fearless and teases her younger sister for being afraid. In the end, her younger sister
rescues her when she is lost in the woods. As a result, their relationship changes.
Read Aloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsFtGHsyZCU
Monster Mama by Liz Rosenberg : Patrick Edward’s mother is a monster. When bullies
attack him, he and his mother deal with them together to turn a bad situation around.
Read Aloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7MiVfV4sGc
Abuela by Arthur Dorros: A child and her grandmother have an imaginary adventure
flying about their city.
Read Aloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl3GIsyS66g
Possible Materials: crayons, markers, paper, fabric, cardboard, felt, foam, paper bags
or plates, socks, sticks, straws, twist ties, boxes, recycled caps or lids, scissors, glue, tape,
tissue paper, magazines, wrapping paper, or other household items.

THINKING
As children make puppets, they explore different ways of being and interacting as
puppets. Their characters come from their ideas and experiences, and sharing these
helps children to understand who they are and how to relate with others. A puppet
offers a vehicle through which to explore feelings in social interactions. Creating
puppets unleashes their imagination through hands-on explorations of materials, art-
making, and storytelling. This process promotes early literacy as they start to dream up
adventures for puppets to embark upon. Children are guided to describe details (e.g.
how their puppets look, their decision-making, who their characters are, and what they
say).

© NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute 2

INTRODUCTION
Have your puppet introduce itself, ask children questions, and respond to children’s
questions. Then ask children what happened object (foam square, sock, or bag). Discuss
how this transformed into a puppet. Tell children they are going to make their own
puppets to play with and talk to each other.

CREATIVITY TIME
Begin work with materials for making a puppet. Hook children into discussion nam-
ing shapes to use for different parts. As children name shapes, use pre-cut shapes
(square, circle, triangle, rectangle) to make body parts and place them onto a paper
background. Talk about more ways of making puppets asking for suggestions for what
materials to put together. Think aloud by talking about your decisions (use of lines,
shapes, colors, to make forms). Show how to create details, for example, to make a
puppet’s eyes, mouth with different expressions, or hair.

REFLECTION
During a reflection, children take turns sharing with the group or family member. You
may prompt them by asking what kinds of lines (jagged, delicate, sharp), colors (bright,
soft and dark), and shapes they chose to put together to make forms, and why they
made those visual decisions for their creations. Children may begin to personify their
puppets. Direct open-ended questions to puppets, “Tell me about yourself.” Allow
children to express thoughts with their puppets’ movements, gestures, and words. You
may guide children by asking “How are they related to one other?” Observe children’s
interactions with puppets and document with photos and videos.. Families and teachers
may encourage children to extend their play and continue sharing their observations.

3
© NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute 3
ACTIVITY 2
Children explore creation of animal, insect, or imaginary character puppets with
moveable parts.
Books Foster ideas for creating animals, insects, or imaginary character with whimsical
stories including:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: This is a story about a hungry caterpillar
learning about eating well, staying inside, and transforming into a butterfly.
Read Aloud Video: https://youtu.be/vkYmvxP0AJI
As Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood: This story invites thinking about animals and
insects. You can help children make connections with their experience with animals and
insects and begin to imagine their own creatures.
Read Aloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuIJvFkg_ZM
Amos and Boris by William Steig: This is a tale of adventure and friendship between two
characters, a whale and a mouse. They meet in an unusual situation and form a deep
friendship.
Read Aloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hE3W4PCdxI

Possible Materials: cardboard, folders, cards, scissors, pipe-cleaners, twist ties, paper,
sticks, straws, plastic spoons, yarn, feathers, buttons, plastic caps, foam trays, masking
tape, glue, craft sticks, hole puncher

THINKING
Young children imagine themselves to be a character that is an animal/insect/imaginary
character. It may be easier for a child to express their feelings and thoughts through
pretend play. Brainstorming a list of animals they know and the physical characteristics
of each creature together will support their thinking. Then let them know they will have
a chance to make characters, such as animal puppets, that move and talk.

INTRODUCTION
You may ask if they remember their puppets or you can prompt children to recollect
details about how they made them. Brainstorm to create a list of possible characters.
You may model using a brainstorm on animals that live in oceans, on a farm, in the
city, or in a forest. Another way to start discussion is using a read-aloud to discuss
characters. Allow each child to take a turn to share connections. Encourage children
to think about characters and their body parts first and then add details to their form.
Use open-ended questions, such as: “What shapes form a lion’s body?” Focus on a
body part, such as the head “What shape is its head?” “How do you think a lion’s mane
would feel?” Invite children to close their eyes and imagine themselves to be a particular
character and what this character likes to do. Is it friendly or not? What kinds of things
are important to it? Open eyes on the count of three and get to work making it.

© NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute 4

CREATIVITY TIME
Children begin by finding materials to put together to form a character. Try placing
shapes onto a background sheet of paper. Make a face to put on an object. It may not
be easy, and remind them that they may ask for help. Adults can also ask what they
would like help with and assist to make the characters. Ask children to find materials to
add details, such as facial features and hair. Open-ended questions help them envision:
“What kind of teeth do crocodiles have?” “What do they do with their teeth?” “How
does a rabbit’s tail feel?” Encourage children to move puppets and have them talk or
move.

REFLECTION
Invite children to share their puppet making experiences and to talk about decisions
and why they made them: “I can see that you glued shiny paper onto your monkey’s
claws. Why did you do that?” or “The tail of your cat is standing up high and looks
excited. Can you move it down to touch the ground? What do you think she is thinking
about now?” Children may also make characters talk. This usually happens without
prompting. You may initiate this by asking puppets questions: “I can see you have a
bright yellow beak. What sort of things do you like to eat with your beak?” or “You have
a long body with three parts, and you are standing upright with your six arms and legs
bent. Are you dancing?” or “Cat, you look like you are smiling and pleased with yourself.
Why are you so happy?” Children may continue to create and play with puppets.

5
© NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute 5
ACTIVITY 3
Children explore creation of animal, insect, or imaginary character puppets with
moveable parts. Children may create an environment for their puppet characters.
Books. To inspire ideas about animal homes and habitats share stories such as:
A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Betty Fraser: This
imaginative story relates to where people and things feel most comfortable.
Read Aloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4cGB0-7R-0
Call Me Tree/Llamame Arbol by Maya Christina Gonzalez: The child finds a way to grow
from the inside out, just like a tree, comfortable in the natural world and in relationships
with others.
Read Aloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA6daOKHu_U
Where Once There Was a Wood by Denise Flemming: Collage illustrations of a
countryside setting show animals and birds living freely. The story concludes with the
image of rows of houses “where once there was a wood.”
Read Aloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiwhoZa5cX8
Possible Materials: Paper, cardboard, crayons, markers, or paint

THINKING
Children can explore storytelling with their characters in particular places. Children will
use visual details to create an environment for their puppets. They will continue to make
decisions to create with lines, colors, and shape. Children will use puppets in pretend
play to create dialogue and events in places where animals live.

INTRODUCTION
Begin with the question: “Where does your character live?” This gives children a focus
on envisioning where the character makes a home. “Francisco said that his hamster lives
in a nest. What is that nest made out of? Do you imagine your hamster sleeping there
during the day or at night time?” Share ideas about places and possible materials to
use, such as crayons, pencils, or markers. Model drawing with a crayon or marker how to
create a background. Brainstorm how they may create a daytime or nighttime scene.

CREATIVITY TIME
FLECTION
During this time, children may work alone or with someone and may use puppets. An
adult can ask about their ideas in open-ended ways, such as: “I can see you have used
a lot of brown in your picture. Tell me about that place.” or “Does your character like
hot weather or cold weather?” As the children work, they can play with puppets and
interact with each other to stimulate ideas.

© NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute 6

REFLECTION
Invite children to share their drawings of places and how or why they created them.
They can have puppets talk about their homes. Children can talk about any issues they
had and how or what they tried. You can guide discussion of decisions they made
asking: “I see different colors of green in your picture. It looks like a bright, sunny day.”
“Does your character live in a place where it rains a lot?” or “Tell me more about that
place.” At the end, share how they could continue to play with a stage: a cardboard box
with a rectangular hole where a picture could be placed to make a background. Children
may create a stage using a table or holding a puppet over drawings.

References
Curriculum adapted from: Studio in a School. (2008). Puppetry Workshops, Early
Childhood Curriculum. New York, NY: Studio in a School.

© NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute 77