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Indoor activity

Paper Bag Puppet

Transform a paper bag into a wild puppet character — draw a face, add googly eyes and tissue paper hair, then slip your hand inside and put on a show!

Ages 3-5 0-1 hours Education 6/10

Materials

  • Googly Eyes optional
  • Markers
  • Paper Bags
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • Tissue Paper

Illustrated Steps

1

Find the Mouth

Lay the paper bag flat with the folded bottom flap facing up. Slide fingers under the flap and thumb below — open and close it to feel the mouth movement.

2

Draw the Face

Draw two big eyes above the flap and a row of teeth on the flap edge and the bag body below it. When the mouth opens, the teeth show.

3

Add Hair and Features

Cut tissue paper strips for hair and tape along the top edge. Stick on googly eyes and add a beard, bow tie, or ears for extra personality.

4

Put On a Show!

Slip your hand inside with fingers in the top flap and thumb in the lower fold. Practise opening and closing the mouth, then perform for an audience!

What You’ll Create

Turn a humble paper bag into a wild, wacky puppet character! 🎭 The secret is the fold at the bottom of the bag — slip your fingers into the flap and it opens and closes like a mouth. Give your puppet a name, a voice, and a personality, then perform a show for the whole family!

Have fun!

  • 🎭 Make two or three different puppets for a full cast of characters!
  • 📖 Act out a favourite fairy tale with your puppet troupe.
  • 🎬 Record a puppet show on a phone or tablet and watch it back.
  • 🎨 Give your puppet a paper collar, a crown, or a superhero cape for extra drama.

Why It’s Amazing

  • Language Skills: Inventing characters, voices, and stories builds vocabulary, sentence structure, and early narrative thinking. 📖
  • Emotional Intelligence: Puppets let children explore feelings and scenarios from a safe distance — they can express emotions through a character that is separate from themselves. 🎭
  • Fine Motor Skills: Cutting, sticking, and drawing all develop hand control and precision. ✂️
  • Creativity and Imagination: Open-ended character building encourages original thinking and confident self-expression. ⭐

Pro Tips

For ages 3–4: Keep the crafting simple — let them scribble a face and call it done. The performance is the magic at this age, not the decoration.

For ages 4–6: Encourage a backstory: where does the puppet live? What is its favourite food? What problem does it need to solve?

For ages 6+: Challenge them to write a short puppet play with a beginning, middle, and end — and a conflict the characters must overcome. 🎬