How to Make a Paper Bag Hand Puppet

One of the easiest crafts to make with kids are paper bag hand puppets. If you have a bunch of unused paper lunch bags, some markers, glue, felt, yarn, glitter, construction paper or paint, you have a fun way to spend some time with the kids on a rainy or boring winter weekend. Gather the kids in a kitchen or other fairly easy place to clean up afterwards, arm them with the supplies and let their imaginations go. You might enjoy making your own puppet along with them!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• paper lunch bags
• art supplies (markers, crayons, glue, glitter construction paper, paint, yarn)

How to Make a Paper Bag Hand Puppet

1. Give each child a flat paper bag.

2. Have them turn it over so they are working on the side where they can lift the bottom of the bag flap up. Make sure they leave it flat while they are working on it.

3. The bottom of the bag that is folded up is going to be the face of your puppet. The underneath that you can pull up like a flap is the inside of the mouth.

4. On the bottom of the bag, have the kids paint or color a face on their puppet. Remember to embellish with eyelashes, rosy cheeks or pirate scars, yarn hair, nose and lips. Make sure one lip is on the bottom of the bag, and one lip is below the bag flap. Kids can lift the flap up and away to put teeth or a tongue underneath the flap for the inside of the mouth.

5. They can decorate the body of the bag as the body of the puppet with colored clothing, arms and legs.

6. When the bag is dry, have the kids put their hands inside the bag, and fit their fingers into the top of the bag for the head, using their thumb under the bottom lip of the puppet for the bottom of the head. The bag will be able to "talk" when they open and shut their hands!