Making stick figures at primary school or at a children’s party; Preschoolers can already make and use them themselves. The first puppet show is often a disappointment for young children, because they have not yet mastered the technique of glove puppetry. The effort it takes to keep the doll’s head upright, to get the good fingers into those doll hands; they often don’t get around to playing at all. To get fun with puppetry, a homemade stick puppet is a fun alternative!
The primitive stick puppet in the puppet theater.
The stick figure in its simplest form is probably the old ladle. For example, the children glue two plastic caps on it as eyes, a bead becomes the nose and they draw the mouth with a thick marker. Cut pieces of wool and stick them on as hair, a pair of cardboard ears and maybe a hat? In the same way, stick figures can be made from washing-up brushes, paint brushes and spoons in all shapes and sizes. The result is often very funny and they did it all themselves.
Making large stick figures at a children’s party.
The most beautiful thing for a child is probably a stick figure that is as big as he/she! The stick can be placed on the floor next to the child and held with one hand. So a long branch, or a slat and two cardboard plates/two round discs of sturdy cardboard. To make it even more beautiful, a piece of fabric is of course beautiful. And a hole in the fabric, so that the child can hold the stick with one hand and play with the other, as if the doll had a real hand.
- Stick or draw a face on one of the round cardboard discs
- Stick hair and/or a hat on the other piece of cardboard
- Place the fabric in the middle over the stick
- Attach the two discs of cardboard to either side of the slat/stick (glue/nails)
- Trace a hand, cut it out and staple/glue/sew it to one side of the fabric
- Cut a hole on the other side for the child to put his hand through
Vegetable-Fruit stick puppets in the puppet theater.
Stick figures for temporary fun and a healthy snack afterwards. First pierce a napkin (in the middle) and then an apple on a fork; Using pins or cocktail sticks, carrot slices can be pinned on for eyes, half a cucumber slice for a mouth and half a grape for a nose. To finish; half a tomato as a hat. If the children are young, this doll will require some help from an adult.
Crafting pure-nature stick figures with toddlers.
A beautiful stick figure can also be made from a tree branch and a potato, beet or onion. (Make a hole in the ‘head’ with an apple corer) The children can look for leaves/caps/feathers/twigs and prick them in with (half) cocktail sticks. A jute cloth over the stick before the head is placed on it and the ‘purely natural stick figure’ is ready.
The stick puppet game at home or at primary school.
And then the playing! Young children are often easy to get started with a few questions or comments, addressed to the stick figure itself, of course. Soon a conversation starts; the doll turns out to have a name, its own voice and before you know it he already has hobbies, wishes and all kinds of quirks. If you then bring the doll into contact with that of another child, the puppet play can really begin.
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