Nur’s Nook: Powerful Puppets

"RO-O-AR!"

Did you know that the art of puppetry is more than 4,000 years old? Puppets appeared in ancient cultures, including India, Egypt, Greece, and China. Today, people celebrate the Chinese New Year with a giant, dancing dragon puppet representing good luck and prosperity.   

With expressive voices and actions, puppets capture your imagination and bring stories to life. They’re also a great way to communicate feelings and ideas. If you’re shy, it can be fun to share through puppetry. Puppets inspire audiences with empathy, joy, and wonder. They can even move us to take action for important causes.         

Puppetry takes practice. Rehearse in front of the mirror. Use your puppet’s body to show emotions. It can shake if it’s scared and jump or wag its tail if it’s happy.        

You can create puppets from fabric, socks, and even items in your recycling bin. Check out this activity and express yourself with puppetry!


You’ll Need: Cardboard egg carton, pencil, cardboard, scissors, stapler, packing tape, 18" x 18" (45.7 x 45.7 cm) colorful fabric, tacky glue, 10" (25.4 cm) wooden skewer, rubber band, poster or acrylic paint, paintbrush, cup of water, card stock


Step 1: Cut apart lid, bottom, and latch flap of egg carton. Cut lid in half.
 

 

 

Step 2: Trace around carton lid twice and cut out to create base and roof of mouth.
 

 

 

Step 3: Glue cardboard onto each half of lid.
 

 

 

Step 4: For eyes, cut two-cup section from carton. Staple to edge of lid and cover staples with tape. Paint eyes and face. Let dry.
 

 

 

Step 5: Place top mouth half on bottom half. Tape flat edges of boards, to make a hinge. Open jaw and reinforce hinge with more tape.
 

 

 

Step 6: Glue middle of fabric’s edge around eyes and jaws. Make sure mouth can open wide. Secure tail end with rubber band. Carefully cut pointed tip off of skewer and insert in rubber band.
 

 

 

Step 7: Use card stock for scales, tail, mouth, and facial features. Hold and move skewer to wag tail. Use your other hand to operate mouth. Now your dragon is ready to roar!
 

 

For a printable version, download a PDF.

Characters460 Nur140 Crafts198 Puppets8 Dragons10 China26 Nur’s Nook92 Arts and Crafts199 Celebrate44