Reindeer Crafts for Preschoolers Using a Brown Bag

Safety scissors may not cut through the thick paper of the brown bag, but they should cut through construction paper with ease.

Preschoolers can use brown bags to make reindeer puppets, a reindeer costume and a reindeer doll. Adult supervision and, at times, adult help should be a part of all of these projects, however. Many preschoolers don’t have the motor skills to use a stapler, scissors or even glue safely, and those skills are necessary to complete these projects. However, the drawing, cutting and paper-crumpling these projects involve might help the children develop the motor skills that will allow them to use all of those tools safely one day.

Reindeer Hand Puppet

The preschooler traces each hand on a piece of red construction paper and cuts out the hands. He cuts out a small circle out of black construction paper. Lay the bag flat and vertical, so the still-folded bottom flap is facing up and is at the top of the bag -- this will be the reindeer’s head. An adult staples the hands to the back top of the bag, so they look like antlers. The preschooler glues googly eyes and the black circle to the front of the bottom flap, to make the reindeer’s face.

Reindeer Stick Puppet

With an adult’s help, the preschooler draws the outline of the reindeer’s body, including the head but not the antlers. The preschooler cuts out the reindeer. He draws on the reindeer, including drawing in the face. With help, the preschooler holds two brown pipe cleaners in his hands, and twists them at the middle so they stay together. The adult flips the reindeer over so the drawn side faces down, and glues a wood craft stick to the body so it’s vertical and extends past the body – it’s the puppet’s handle. The adult also glues the pipe cleaners to the back of the reindeer’s head at the twisted point. Once the glue is dry, flip over the reindeer. The preschooler can bend and twist the pipe cleaners so they look like antlers.

Reindeer Costume

Place the large paper bag over the preschooler, so he’s wearing it like a huge hat. The ends of the bag should reach past his armpits. Mark the sides of the bag at the point roughly halfway down the child’s upper arms. Cut the bag 1 inch past the bag’s bottom on the side that was over the child’s face. Cut that area in a large square or crescent shape, so the child can see through it when he’s wearing the bag, and so that it looks like the reindeer’s mouth if the bottom of the bag is the reindeer’s face. Cut holes at the marked areas at the bag’s sides, large enough for the child to fit his arms through comfortably. The preschooler traces each of the adult’s hands on pieces of brown construction paper and cuts them out. The adult staples them to the back of the bag, opposite where the large face/mouth hole is cut, so they look like antlers. The preschooler decorates the bottom of the bag so it looks like the reindeer’s face, and decorates the rest of the bag as he likes.

Reindeer Doll

Crumple newspaper and fill two large, brown bags with it. Fill one significantly more than the other. Staple them shut, folded tightly so they look completely stuffed. Glue the bags together so the smaller one looks like the reindeer’s head and the larger one like the reindeer’s body. Allow the glue to dry, and meanwhile, stuff four smaller brown bags with newspaper. Glue them to the “body” as though they’re legs and allow the glue to dry. Allow the preschooler to trace the adult’s hands on a piece of paper and cut them out. The adult glues them to the back of the reindeer’s head and allows them to dry. The child can then decorate the reindeer by cutting out shapes from construction paper and gluing them to the reindeer, or by drawing on the reindeer. The child should decorate the reindeer’s face and hooves, and may want to make a harness out of yarn.

References

• Enchanted Learning: Paper Bag Reindeer Puppet