Puppets Around the World

About the projects

Learn to make a variety of puppets and go around the world with plays using the puppets based on fables from different cultures. Each puppet in this series is a type of stick puppet, finger puppet or hand puppet. Puppets are used around the world for rituals, religious presentations and entertainment. They have been used throughout time. In the broadest sense a puppet is a character in a drama brought to life by human hands.

The projects range in difficulty from VERY EASY to AVERAGE.

Browse down this page for descriptions and illustrations of the projects, then select a project and have some crafting fun making puppets and doing plays!

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  Stick Puppets - Learn how to make simple stick puppets and shadow puppets. The puppets in this project are ocean creatures which are featured in a play, The Great Shark God, based on a fable from the Fiji Islands.

  VERY EASY

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  Animated Stick Puppets - In this craft project, go one step beyond simple stick puppets by adding movement to the puppets. The puppets in this project are featured in a play, The Defeat of Great Glooskap, based on a folktale from Algonquin Native Americans.

  EASY

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  Finger Puppets - In this project make circus theme finger puppets. Make acrobat, strongman, clown, and elephant puppets, then put on a play. You'll have some  circus fun at home!

  VERY EASY

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  Paper Bag Hand Puppets - Start with a paper bag and add a few decorations to make an easy hand puppet. The play in this project, Clever Gretel, is based on a Brothers Grimm folktale from Germany.

  EASY

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  Toilet Paper Tube Puppets - Use empty toilet paper tubes to make finger puppets, then put on a play. The play in this project, Grandfather's Advice, is based on a Latvian folktale. The versatility of this puppet making technique is amazing. Give it a try!

  EASY

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  Paper Cone Finger Puppets - Make easy finger puppets with a paper cone body and an attached paper head. These puppets are simple and especially suited to a classroom setting. Make several finger puppets then put on a play that features the puppets. A Chinese tale is the inspiration for the play in this project, Officer of Heaven.

  EASY