Not only is this activity great for keeping kids busy during summer breaks or holidays, but it’s also an excellent way for families and teachers alike to bring a little bit of joy into the classroom or home.
With our easy step-by-step instructions, anyone can create these delightful puppets in no time at all – so read on and get ready to brighten up your days with this fantastic crafting project!
With today’s collection post, your kid’s handprints can also be turned into fun puppet animals with cardstock paper, popsicle sticks and a little imagination!
Here, we’ll provide plenty of ideas to help you get started on making these adorable craft puppets with your little crafter, from the comfort of your own home or even in the classroom.
The best part of today’s roundup? I’ve included a free printable for EACH idea, to get you started even faster. All you need to do is print, cut and help your little one adhere their piece to a handprint cutout. That’s it!
Keep reading for some exciting handprint animal puppet craft ideas for kids. I hope you love them ALL! Happy crafting, my friends!
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – HIPPO PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – COW PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – MOUSE PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – BUNNY PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – BLACK CAT PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – ZEBRA PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – LEOPARD PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – BEAR PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – MONKEY PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – KOALA PUPPET
FREE PRINTABLE ON BOX.COM – PIG PUPPET
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PAIR YOUR CRAFTS WITH —> Paper Plate Koala
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Handprint Hippopotamus Craft
Are you looking for a creative craft project that your kids will love? We have the perfect idea—a handprint hippo!
- Cardstock Paper
- Free Printable - Landing Page
- Jumbo Popsicle Sticks
- Small Googly Eyes
Instructions
- First pick a hand - any hand will do!
- Lay it flat on your choice of colored cardstock paper.
- Trace around your hand with a marker.
- Go ahead and trim out the traced design you just made.
- Repeat for each puppet you want to make today {you need ONE paper handprint cutout per hippo puppet.}
- Now it's time for the head embellishment! Take your printed printable and decorate one of the head designs however you like. Ideally you want it to match the color of your handprint cutout.
- When done, trim out the head piece and set aside the remaining paper for repeating the craft later on.
- Now grab your two paper cutouts and the jumbo popsicle stick.
- Start off by gluing the handprint cutout to the wood stick. This is done by simply putting a dab of glue on the finger in the middle and then placing it on one end of the popsicle stick.
- Follow that up by gluing the hippo head shape where the thumb would be.
- To finish off the Handprint Hippo - glue on the wiggle eyes in place.
- At this point in time you can add other embellishments to make cute handprint stand out from the crowd!
- Then set it all aside to let it dry completely before the puppet show!
- Don't forget to save them after you play, in a scrapbook for safekeeping!
Want to show off your creations?Mention @gluedtomycrafts or tag #gluedtomycrafts on Instagram!
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