How to Make Fairy Tale Sock Puppets

Any old sock can have a new life as a puppet.

Sock puppets are an easy way to create characters for playing pretend and entertaining children. Another feature of sock puppets is you can make them as plain or as intricate as you want. Re-create the characters from virtually any story with fairy tale sock puppets. Make the puppets for the children in your life ahead of time or involve them in the creative process.

Things You'll Need

• Old socks
• Ruler or measuring tape
• Pencil or chalk
• Scissors
• Thin cardboard (such as a cereal box)
• Red felt
• Hot glue gun
• Plastic eyes
• Accessories such as sashes, wings, glitter, yarn
• Permanent markers

Instructions

1. Lay the sock out flat on a solid surface so only one side shows.

2. Measure three inches from the toe down to the center of the sock, and mark a line from the tip of the toe to this arch area. Cut along the line to create a mouth opening.

3. Measure and cut out an oval from the cardboard about 5 inches long by 3 inches wide. Do the same thing with a piece of red felt.

4. Attach the red felt to the cardboard using hot glue. Let the glue cool and harden.

5. Fold the cardboard in half width-wise with the red felt on the inside of the fold to form a mouth. Slip the cardboard into the cut hole of the sock with the red felt on the outside of the sock. Use hot glue to secure the cardboard and felt to the cut edges of the sock and let it cool.

6. Add eyes to the puppet just below the heel area of the sock along the arch. Add accessories such as yarn for hair, sashes, buttons, wings and lace to suit the fairy tale character you are making.

7. Draw facial features on the puppet such as eyelashes, nostrils, ears and lips, and color them in. Include other items on the body of the sock puppet by drawing on necklaces, bowties, badges or shirt collars.

Tips & Warnings

• Look over pictures of the fairy tale characters you are trying to make to get ideas for facial expressions, clothes and accessories.

• Always use caution when working with hot glue guns; make sure children know only adults can use the glue gun.

References

• "Great Group Games"; Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor; 2007
• "Let's Make a Memory"; Gloria Gaither and Shirley Dobson; 1983