byronreese
Kids craft reindeer hand puppets
Get step-by-step instructions for this fun, cute, and easy kids Holiday craft project.
By Angela McKendree
Materials:
1 brown lunch-sized paper bag
Large red or black pom-pom
2 large googly eyes
1 black marker or crayon
2 sheets of red, green, dark brown, or black construction paper
1 pencil
1 pair of scissors
Glue
We all know that paper bags make great puppets. And of course we all know that kids love Santa’s reindeer. So why not combine to two and make a Christmas craft that your kids will be playing with for days on end?
Instructions:
The flap of the brown paper sack will be the reindeer’s head. Near the top of it, toward the middle, glue on two googly eyes.
Next, use either a red or black pom-pom for the nose. Red is of course for Rudolph, however if your child chooses to make a reindeer other than Rudolph use black. Glue it on to the top flap, or the head of the reindeer, underneath the reindeer’s googly eyes.
For the last step on the reindeer’s face, have the child use the black crayon or marker and draw on a little mouth. Reindeer of course have a different kind of mouth than people so the child need not draw teeth to show a smile. Rather, have them draw a short line coming down from the reindeer’s nose and then curve one line outward toward the left and then another line outward toward the right. Both the left and right curves should split off from the single line the child drew down from the nose. This is a standard, easy to draw mouth that is used on many kinds of animals and works well with the reindeer as well.
Now that the face is complete, it is time to start on the antlers. Get out the two sheets of colored construction paper. Have the child place their hand, palm down, on top of the sheet of colored construction paper. Then have them use their other hand to trace with the pencil and outline of their hand.
When the child has finished tracing one handprint, have them repeat the process on the second sheet of construction paper.
When the child has traced both hands with the pencil, let them use a pair of child-safe scissors and cut the outline. These handprint cutouts will be the reindeer’s antlers.
Using glue, fasten the paper antlers to the back of the reindeer’s head, one on each side. If you are concerned that the glue wont hold for long enough, or if your kids simply cant wait for the glue to dry to start playing with this toy, you can use a stapler in place of glue to fasten the antlers to the head. When you fasten them, of course, you want the fingers to stick up like branches of the antler. These antlers may be a little bit floppy. To keep them upright, try gluing or stapling as far up as possible.
This little hand puppet is adorable and fun to play with. It is sure to be a hit with your kids this holiday season.
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