Introduction
We are always looking for new ways to tell a Bible story to young kids to keep them engaged. One method we have tried is by doing popsicle puppets to tell the story. These puppets are easy to make and kids of all ages enjoy watching and participating in the puppet show of the Bible story.
With this Creating for the Creator, we are taking it one step further because we are making a DIY Puppet Show Stage! It turned out very easy to make and only uses a few materials. Best of all, the children loved the theatrics of having a puppet show stage! They could not wait to watch the show then get behind the stage and act it out themselves. We used this stage the first time to teach the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. I felt that this was a tricky lesson to teach young children, but this puppet show kept them interested and helped them learn the lesson.
Another great thing about this DIY Puppet Show Stage is that easily folds up and can be stored behind a cabinet. Then you can change out the scenes and customize the backgrounds for different Bible stories. You can be creative and go through endless possibilities!
Try out this craft for your Bible school class and let us know what you think! Have fun teaching your little seeds!
Materials
- Trifold, size 36" x 48"
- Scissors
- Dowel Rod
- Fabric
- Hot Glue
- Velcro
- Popsicle Sticks
- Optional: Rings (we used these)
- Optional: Wood Bulletin Board Paper and Glue
Instructions
If you are using a wood bulletin board paper, glue that to the center of your trifold. Also, if you are choosing to paint your dowel rod, go ahead and paint it yellow.
Sketch out a 18" x 15" rectangle on your trifold for the viewing window of your puppet stage. Then cut out the rectangle. Note, try to salvage the rectangle as much as possible because we will be using this cardboard in the next step.
Take the rectangle cut out in step 2 and cut two 4" x 18" strips out of it.
Cut one 4" strip in half to get two 4" x 9" strips. Score the 4" by 9" pieces at the 2" mark and 7" mark so you make an S-shape. Use the hot glue to glue the short pieces to the ends of the long piece so you make a U-shape. This is going to go behind the puppet show stage so you can add changing backgrounds.
Hot glue an 18" strip of Velcro on the background cardboard strip. Hot glue the tabs of the U-shape to the bottom back of the viewing window.
Carefully poke holes through the sides of the trifold at about 2" down and 2" from the center section. Insert the dowel through each hole so it is in the front of the stage.
Cut small holes at the top of your fabric about 1" down. You can insert rings in each hole or you can simply thread the fabric on the dowel rod to make a curtain for your stage.
Ta-Da! That is it! You now have a cute, easy-to-store puppet stage for your Bible class!
Landscapes and Props
Now that you have your puppet stage finished, you can make different landscape scenes and props! Just make a scene out of construction paper then hot glue it to a popsicle stick. You can then add Velcro to the popsicle stick so you can attach it to the 'shelf' you made behind your puppet stage. Below is an SVG of a hill side scene if you want to cut it out with your Cricut or cutting machine.
Hillside Background
For the people in your puppet show, we just find images of Bible characters online and cut them out. Then we hot glue them to popsicle sticks, and we are good to go!
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