How to Make a Turtle Hand Puppet With a Cloth Glove

Hand puppets encourage a sense of wonder in kids.

A cloth glove creates a comfortable turtle hand puppet. Adding a handmade shell and hand-drawn details creates a natural or cartoon-style turtle. A turtle hand puppet serves as an educational tool and a toy and helps kids become engaged in a lesson. Puppets help with communication skills and can gain kids' attention both in the classroom and at home. Making a hand puppet with a cloth glove makes it a convenient project that requires only time for the glue to dry. Start with a green glove for the turtle to create a no-sew hand puppet.

Things You'll Need

• Green glove, such as a gardening glove or knit glove
• Black or dark green marker with permanent ink
• Green sponge
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Tissue or newspaper
• Fabric glue

Instructions

1. Put the glove on your dominant hand.Touch the tip of your gloved thumb to your index finger and move your thumb to check where to make the turtle's mouth. The glove's thumb becomes the turtle's lower lip. Use a dark green or black marker to draw the turtle's mouth, either in a thin line for a realistic mouth or a more exaggerated shape for a humorous or cartoon effect. Draw the eyes on the side of the index finger right above the thumb.

2. 

   A green sponge works well for a turtle shell.

   Cut a green sponge into the shape of the turtle's shell. Make a deep shell to fit over the glove and hide your hand by carefully cutting out the center of a thick sponge. Fold the sponge in half, and cut away the center with a scissors, taking care not to cut all the way through the sponge. Round off the sponge's corners by snipping them off in a curve to make the sponge oval-shaped like a real turtle.

3. Draw the details of the turtle's shell to make it look realistic. Turtles often have a pattern like a quilt with rounded squares making up their shell. Draw the pattern lightly in pencil first if you prefer, and then go over the line with a pen.

4. Position the turtle's shell on the back of your hand, with the glove still on. Make a mark with the pen on the glove at each end of the shell.

5. Take the glove off and stuff it with tissue or newspaper. It isn't necessary to fill the fingers -- only the main area of the glove -- to help it hold a hand shape to attach the shell in the correct position.

6. Apply fabric glue to the top of the glove -- the area that covers the back of your hand. Zigzag the glue between the marks on the glove. Position the turtle shell with the hollowed side against the glue and set it down on the glove with its ends even with the ink marks. Press the shell down on the glove and hold it in place for a slow count of 60 to help the glue hold.

Tips & Warnings

• Use fabric glue for an effective bond between the fabric and the sponge. Some glues won't adhere well to fabric.

• Move the pen quickly and lightly when you draw on the glove to keep the ink from saturating the fabric.

• Don't use non-permanent markers to decorate the turtle puppet. These markers can transfer ink to other surfaces and the turtle markings will smear and run if they become damp.

Resources

• Artists Helping Children: Puppets and Marionettes Crafts for Kids