DIY Shadow Puppets

Shadow puppet witch

As Spring Break begins and we prepare to wind our clocks forward this week-end, you might be looking for a simple craft idea to do with your little loved one(s) to keep them from going stir crazy. Shadow puppets are a wonderful diversion but more importantly, an excellent way to practice fine motor skills through tracing and cutting. We made some together during the art portion of our homeschooling this week and A+F really enjoyed them.

This is a very straightforward craft that gears up your child for imaginative play.  You create the shadow puppets together during the day and then when evening falls, dim the lights, get out a flashlight  and play puppeteers! For this particular craft, you don't really need many materials as such and most likely can use what you have around the house.  Here's what you'll require:

Shadow puppet materials

Materials:

-Stencils or cookie cutters
-Graphite pencils
-Black art paper (or similar)
-Scissors
-Craft sticks (or similar)
-Glue stick or tape
-Small hole puncher for additional details (optional)

Any stencils that appeal to your child will do. I would also recommend cookie cutters (such as the little bear seen above) for children that are a bit younger and find it more difficult to trace more nuanced shapes.  We used black art paper because it has a great weight to it and will not flop around once attached to the craft sticks. If you do not have craft paper, you can use black construction paper, but I would advise a double layer, perhaps mirror-imaged and glued to each side of the craft sticks.  Of course, the children could always use plain white printer paper (double-layered) and colour the shapes in with a black crayon to achieve the desired effect as well.

It doesn't take long to make each puppet so be sure to have enough stencils and shapes to create a full company for your shadow puppet theatre.

3 simple steps:

1. Trace your stencil onto the black paper

Stencils traced with graphite on black paper really show up well

Step 2: Cut out your shape

Step 3: Attach a craft stick with tape or glue - and you're done! Wasn't that ridiculously easy?

What evils lurk behind the castle walls

We'll be back soon with more simple crafts to create over spring recess.  Enjoy your twilight theatre!

XO.
N&N