Making Hand Puppets

Recommended Age Group: 18 months to 10 years

Materials Required:

• 1 Clean Sock
• 2 Buttons
• Permanent Markers (Red and Black preferably)
• Yarn of any color
• Fabric Glue
• Scissors

Instructions:

The clean sock will be the base of the hand puppet. It can be brand new or an odd sock of any size. Younger children will be able to use smaller socks more effectively, but adults will probably be more comfortable with larger socks.

Using the fabric glue, help your child glue the buttons to the heel area of the sock to create two eyes. The toe of the sock will be the nose and mouth – if you’re not sure of eye placement, put the sock on your hand before gluing on the eyes. Allow the eyes to set for a few minutes.

While you are waiting, use the scissors to cut the yarn into the desired length of hair. Again using the fabric glue, affix the individual strands of hair on the top of the sock behind the eyes. Be creative with length and style. You might consider bangs or long enough hair to braid and style later.

Allow the glue to dry completely before continuing.

Carefully use the permanent markers to draw in eyelashes, eye brows, and lips. Before drawing the mouth, place the sock puppet on your hand to be sure you position the lips correctly. Ideally, the top and bottom lip should be together when your fingers are pinched together, and separate when you make the puppet “talk.”

Finally, the permanent markers can be used to draw on any additional details that might make the puppet extra special such as clothing, buttons, etc…

After the details are added and the glue is dry, the puppet is ready for use. Additional puppets may be created to make a collection for shows or creative play.