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How to Make a Skeleton Puppet

Skeleton puppets and marionettes create a festive atmosphere for Halloween and other celebrations.
Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images

Putting on puppet shows is a great way to entertain your kids, and even adults. Around Halloween put on a puppet show using skeletons. Creating paper skeleton puppets takes only a little bit of your time. If you want to have a variety of skeleton characters in your puppet show or make individual ones with your kids, print out multiple skeleton templates that vary in appearance from each other. Making skeleton puppets with kids can be a good class activity or a good rainy day activity with bored kids.

Things You'll Need:

  • Scissors
  • Hole Punch
  • White And Black Construction Paper
  • Packaging Tape
  • Large Craft Stick Or Dowel
  • Printer
  • Skeleton Template
  • Brads
  • Glue

Use the white construction paper to print out a copy of a skeleton template. Cut out multiple body parts if you want to make a larger skeleton puppet.

Cut out separate pieces of the skeleton template. Cut apart the pieces at joints if the template is all one piece.

Glue the pieces of the skeleton on the black construction paper. Leave at least ½ inch of black paper all the way around each piece. Cut out the different body parts on the black paper leaving that ½ inch space all the way around the edges to highlight the bones of the skeleton.

Arrange the skeleton so that the joints overlap a little bit. Use the hole punch to punch a hole through both layers of the joints. Connect the pieces of the skeleton by inserting brads at each joint.

Use a large craft stick or a dowel and tape it to the back of the skeleton. Tape it all the way up to the head of the skeleton so that it stands up. Use packaging tape, as it is stickier and will hold the sticks to the paper much better than regular tape.

Tip

Leave the brads loose on the joints so that the skeleton can move freely during your puppet show.

Use felt to make your skeleton puppets in the same manner if you want a puppet that will last a little longer than paper.

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