Make Your Own DIY Puppet Stage

I am all over things that encourage my kids to get off the electronics and do something creative. Today’s project fits that bill. Not only in the make-believe of acting out “plays” but in creating the custom characters as well. Follow along for some fun puppet ideas.

I love that the puppet stage is a simple box. And at the end of playtime, all of the components store inside the box.

Here are the supplies I used to create my puppet stage, and craft stick characters as well. You can also opt for small dolls, plastic figures, or finger puppets.

Supplies needed for these puppet ideas:

• White Scrapbook Box with Lid
• Red Polka Dot Fat Quarter (or another fat quarter color of your choice)
• Square Dowel Rods
• Craft Knife, Cutting Mat & Replacement Blades
• Sewing Machine
• Supplies to create puppet characters:
• Unfinished Puppet Sticks
• Studio 71 Acrylic Paint Set
• White Taklon Brush Set
• Auburn Brown Doll Hair
• Ash Blonde Doll Hair
• Glow in Dark Googly Eyes

Trim your dowel to fit the widest part of the storage box. There should be about a half of an inch of overhang on both sides. Set the trimmed dowel aside.

Remove the lid from the storage box.

Lay the lid flat on a cutting mat. Decide how large you would like the opening to your puppet stage. Measure and mark the area with a pencil.

Using a craft knife, carefully cut the stage window out. The box is pretty thick, so it will take several passes with the craft knife.

Discard the cut piece. Measure where you would like your dowel curtain to be. Mark holes evenly on both sides of the box for the dowel.

Trim the fat quarter to cover the stage opening with enough excess to bunch the curtains on both sides.

Here is where you can choose to be fancy or not. I ironed the fabric, and stitched around the edges, making a waistband-type pocket on the top for the dowel to slide into. I am sure there is a sewing term for that- but I am not really a seamstress. You could also do this whole portion using a fabric glue, or even hot glue. The curtains just need to be able to open and close.

Slide the curtains onto the dowel.

Slide the dowel into the holes on the side of the storage box lid.

Place the lid upright on the side of the box.

The box will give it stability.

That completes the puppet stage. Now you can have fun creating characters to use!

The above suggested craft sticks come pre-shaped into male and female characters. With a little bit of paint and creativity the kids can help make any character they desire. Here are some puppet ideas:

When they are finished playing, everything tucks into the box until next time.

My neighborhood kids have already played with this puppet stage for hours. Boys and girls.

We have had a very dramatic plastic dinosaur figure fight, and a few stories about royal princesses complete with British accents.

Not bad for a simple box, and a summer afternoon.

Shaunte

Shaunte is a 30-something, chocolate-loving, SAHM from Utah. She has been scrapbooking since 1997, the dreaded era of photos cropped with deco scissors. Since then, her work has evolved into a clean, linear, photo-focused style. Her favorite subjects to scrap are her husband and five kids (never a lack for subject material there).