Easy DIY Felt Finger Puppets for Kids

Make fun, educational felt finger puppets with your kids in 4 simple steps:

1. Cut felt shapes
2. Add faces and details
3. Glue pieces together
4. Let dry and play!

Benefits:

• Boosts creativity
• Improves fine motor skills
• Enhances language development
• Aids emotional growth

You'll need:

• Felt
• Scissors
• Glue
• Decorations (googly eyes, ribbons, etc.)

Great for ages 4+. Use for storytelling, learning, and imaginative play.

Quick Comparison:

Age Group	Difficulty	Time to Make	Best For
3-6 years	Easy	15-30 min	Basic shapes, pre-cut felt
7-12 years	Moderate	30-60 min	Detailed designs, basic sewing
13+ years	Advanced	60+ min	Complex characters, embroidery

Related video from YouTube

What You'll Need

Let's dive into the essentials for making felt finger puppets.

Must-Have Items

• Felt (various colors)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Finger puppet templates
• Marker

"We actually used a low temp hot glue gun. It's quicker and easier for kids to use than liquid glue." - Jamie Sanders, Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

For kids, a low-temp hot glue gun can be a good option. Just keep a close eye on them!

Extra Decorations

Want to jazz up your puppets? Try:

• Googly eyes
• Ribbons
• Alphabet beads
• Embroidery floss and needles
• Foam shapes
• Pom-poms

Pro tip: Check your craft stash before buying new supplies. You might already have what you need!

If you're short on time, consider pre-cut felt shapes or a craft kit. They come with everything you need to get started.

For long-lasting puppets, wool blend felt is a great choice. It's pricier, but more durable than acrylic.

Now you're ready to create some adorable finger puppets!

Basic Skills to Know

Let's cover some key skills for puppet-making. These will make your crafting easier and safer.

How to Cut Felt

Cutting felt is a big part of finger puppet making. Here's how:

• Use sharp scissors. Big for large cuts, small for details.
• Trace your pattern with an erasable pen.
• Cut about 1 cm outside the lines.

Pro tip: Try the freezer paper method. Iron the shiny side onto felt, then cut along the paper's edge. Perfect shapes, every time!

How to Use Glue

Gluing felt can be tricky. Here's what works:

• Kids: Use tacky glue. It's non-toxic and bonds well.
• Adults: Try a low-temp hot glue gun for speed.

Glue Type	Drying Time	Kid-Friendly?
Tacky Glue	2-24 hours	Yes
Hot Glue	Seconds	No (adult supervision needed)

Staying Safe While Crafting

Safety first! Remember:

• Always watch kids using scissors or glue.
• Use child-safe scissors for young crafters.
• Only adults should handle hot glue guns.

Bonus tip: Make your own safe glue! Mix 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1 tsp vinegar. Heat until thick, then cool before use.

Making Your Puppet: Step by Step

Let's make your felt finger puppet! Here's how:

1. Making the Main Shape

Pick your felt colors. You need two pieces for the body.

1. Choose or draw a puppet shape on paper
2. Cut it out
3. Trace it on felt twice
4. Cut about 1 cm outside the lines

2. Adding a Face

Give your puppet some character:

• Eyes: Cut small white circles. Add black dots with a marker
• Nose: Cut a tiny triangle or circle in a different color
• Mouth: Draw a smile or cut a small felt shape

"Add glue around the edge of one finger puppet shape and press a second shape on top." - Jamie Sanders, Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

3. Making Your Puppet Unique

Get creative! Try:

• Ears: Glue on small felt triangles or circles
• Hair: Glue thin felt strips on top
• Clothes: Add small felt shapes for a shirt or hat

Feature	Simple	Advanced
Eyes	Googly eyes	Embroidered
Hair	Felt strips	Yarn
Clothes	Glued on	Sewn on

4. Last Steps

1. Glue along the inside edge of one body piece
2. Press the second piece on top, leaving the bottom open
3. Let it dry completely

For tougher puppets, adults can use a low-temp hot glue gun instead of tacky glue.

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Ways to Make Different Puppets

Puppets for Special Times

Felt finger puppets are great for holidays. Here's how:

• Christmas: Make Santa, reindeer, and snowmen. Use red and white for Santa, brown for reindeer, and white for snowmen. Add small details like buttons or a carrot nose.

• Halloween: Create ghosts, pumpkins, and witches. White for ghosts, orange for pumpkins, black for witches' hats.

• Easter: Craft bunnies and chicks. Quick tip: Use pipe cleaners and pom poms. Twist the pipe cleaner into a spiral for the body, attach a large pom pom for the head with googly eyes.

For storytelling, make these character sets:

Story	Characters
Three Little Pigs	Pig, Wolf, Houses
Little Red Riding Hood	Red Riding Hood, Wolf, Grandmother
Goldilocks	Goldilocks, Three Bears

Using Different Materials

Mix it up with:

• Fabric scraps from old clothes
• Buttons for eyes or decorations
• Yarn for hair or fur
• Cardboard for sturdier puppets

For 3D heads, try this: Use plaster bandage over egg box molds. Once dry, paint and decorate.

Helpful Hints

Making felt finger puppets is fun, but it can be tricky. Here's how to avoid common pitfalls and tailor the project for different ages.

Watch Out For These Mistakes

1. Sizing: Cut felt pieces bigger than your finger. Too big? Stuff with fabric or sponge.

2. Glue: Put something between puppet layers to stop them sticking together.

3. Cutting: For precise shapes:

   • Use sharp felt scissors
   • Draw shapes first
   • Cut slowly

Adjusting for Different Ages

Age	How to Modify
3-6	Use fabric glue, simple shapes, pre-cut felt
7-12	Basic sewing, detailed designs, self-cutting
13+	Advanced embroidery, 3D elements, character sets

Safety first: For young kids, use tacky glue instead of hot glue. No burns!

Fun Ways to Use Your Puppets

Telling Stories

Finger puppets make stories come alive. Kids can act out their favorites or invent new tales. It's great for language skills and creativity.

Try these:

• Make a puppet theater from a cardboard box
• Use puppets for fairy tales
• Invent new characters and adventures

Laura Lynn Marschel, a Chicago mom, says: "We had a blast using The Itsy Bitsy Spider song for a fun finger puppet craft!"

Learning with Puppets

Puppets aren't just fun - they're awesome for teaching. Here's how:

Subject	Puppet Activity
Math	Count with number puppets
Science	Show life cycles
History	Act out famous events
Language	Practice new words

For little ones, use puppets to teach basics:

• Colors: Make puppets in different hues
• Shapes: Create circle, square puppets, etc.
• Animals: Use animal puppets for sounds

Puppets help with emotions too. Kids can act out feelings or practice solving problems.

"Imitating puppets helps kids learn song lyrics and even dance. Playing with puppets can boost a child's motor skills." - Early Impact Learning

Wrap-Up

You've got the skills to make felt finger puppets. It's a simple craft that boosts kids' creativity and learning.

Here's what you can do with your puppets:

Activity	Benefit
Storytelling	Brings tales to life
Learning	Teaches math and science
Emotional growth	Helps express feelings

The fun is in making and playing. Craft expert Anna Nellar says:

"DIY Finger puppets made by your kids are ready to play with! I am sure yours turned adorable! Enjoy the playing time :)"

Keep crafting! Try new designs, mix materials, and have fun. Why not share your creations? A photo or video might inspire others to make puppets too!