Puppet Making and Show
To develop creative imagination and storytelling through puppet design, making, and performance.
- Framework: EYFS
- Unit: EYFS Expressive Arts & Design
- Learning area: Expressive Arts and Design
- Level: EYFS 3-4
Objectives
- Designs and makes puppet
- Develops character for puppet
- Performs to an audience
- Creates simple puppet narrative
Materials
- Paper bags or socks for puppet bodies
- Collage materials for features
- Fabric scraps for costumes
- Simple puppet theatre
Instructions
Begin by looking at puppets together: hand puppets, sock puppets, shadow puppets. 'What character do you want to make? A dragon? A princess? A dinosaur? A person who looks like YOU?'
Support design decisions: 'How will you show that your puppet is happy? Sad? Fierce? What will you use for eyes? Hair? Teeth?' These design questions push creative thinking beyond simply decorating.
Make paper bag puppets: decorate the flat side of a brown paper bag to create a face, put hand inside to open and close the mouth. Sock puppets: push your fist into a sock, pinch for a mouth, add button eyes.
Once puppets are made, support children to develop their character: 'What's your puppet's name? What's their voice like? What do they like? What are they scared of?' Character development before performance.
Create simple two-puppet stories: 'Your dragon meets my princess. What happens? You decide!' This improvised puppetry develops narrative thinking in an accessible, low-risk format.
Perform for the class, then for another class, then for parents. Each audience increases confidence and the quality of performance. Recording puppet shows and watching them back is endlessly motivating.