How to Make a Dog Finger Puppet
Kids are naturally curious and crafty, drawing on just about anything and everything. On bad-weather days, one way to keep them engaged indoors is by showing them how to make dog finger puppets like “Spot,” “Fido” or “Rover.” They get to draw and be as expressive as they want by making different dog sounds, such as growls and barks. You can wash off the felt tip markings with soap and water. You can also make the experience a learning event by talking about different breeds of dogs from big, like Labradors, to small, like terriers.
Instructions
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Select a Dog to Draw as a Puppet
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Show how to draw a dog's snout. Assemble a variety of felt tip markers in bright colors. Show the kids pictures of dogs. Let them flip through the pages in a book and encourage them to find a dog face to draw on one of their fingers using the colored markers.
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Show them how a dog has a snout, which includes its nose, mouth and jaw. Tell them to draw a round or triangular mark for the snout (depending on the breed in the picture) and then add the two eyes above that. Show them how to draw the ears.
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3
Take a pipe cleaner and wind it around the top of a finger just below the drawn face. Keep winding the pipe cleaner around the finger. Leave a little bit at the end for the dog’s tail, opposite the side of the dog face. Make it a straight tale or add a tail with a curl. Encourage the kids to move the tail bag and forth just as a dog waves its tail.
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Go back to the pictures of the various dogs and breeds. Point out the paws and have the kids select markers that match the colors of a particular dog's paws. Instruct them to draw the paws on their finger just below the pipe cleaner "fur." Show them that some paws are rounded and others are pointed.
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References
- Disney’s Family Fun Crafts; Deanna F. Cook, 1997
- "Crochetville"; Cat and Dog Finger Puppets
- “Disney Family Fun”; Animal Finger Puppets
- Photo Credit Apple Tree House/Lifesize/Getty Images Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
