Circus Cup Puppets
[45 Minutes]
Bring the excitement of the circus to your house as you and your child make puppets from household materials!
You'll need:
paper cups large craft sticks construction paper glue scissors (ADULT USE ONLY) markers or crayons yarn or cotton balls pipe cleaners fabric, lace, ribbon or wallpaper scraps
What to do:
- With scissors, cut a slit the width of a craft stick in the bottom of a paper cup.
- To make each puppet head, invite your child to glue 2 circles of construction paper onto the front and back of each craft stick, creating a "lollipop" effect.
- Encourage her to add yarn, fabric bits, ribbon scraps or construction paper details. These basic puppet shapes may be decorated to represent circus people and animals.
- Show your child how arms may be created from pipe cleaners. Use scissors to make holes in the cups for a pipe cleaner to poke through. Or, help your child fold paper strips accordion-style and tape them onto the cup.
- Invite your child to draw on eyes with markers.
- She can then insert the head into the paper cup slit.
- Encourage her to decorate the body of the cup as she wishes.
How to use:
- Set up a pretend circus in your home.
- Make the performance ring by placing a circle of masking tape on the floor.
- Your child can pretend to be any member of the circus and can perform with her puppets.
Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.
- Tell me about your puppet. Does it have a name?
- Do you like making animal or people puppets better?
Useful information:
While you are having fun together, your child is developing small muscle skills and language skills. If possible, look for a local circus production in your town and take your child on an exciting and educational adventure.
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