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A very wise crab once said, “Darling it’s better down where it’s wetter—under the sea.” For a bit of undersea play (without getting wet), print out these puppets that feature a few fishy friends.
These sea creatures can be colored as much or as little as your kids like, then with a bit of lacing around the edges, they are transformed into puppets that can swim around the house!
Materials
- Printable Fishy Friends Hand Puppets Template (download here)
- Card Stock
- Yarn
- Scissors or Paper Cutter
- Hole Punch
- Print the puppet templates on card stock and cut them in half on the dashed line. Cut two more pieces of card stock in half to use as the back of the puppets. I used blue for the backings so it’s sort of water-like.
- Hold the front and back of each puppet together and punch holes on the marked dots. One end of the puppet doesn’t have holes because that’s where your hand will go.
- Cut a piece of yarn that’s a little longer than one yard. Tie one end through the first hole on the puppet, going through both pieces of card stock. You may want to wrap a piece of tape around the other end for easier lacing.
- Lace around the three sides, wrapping the yarn around the edge and going through the holes. Not only do kids get to make their own puppet, but stitching the pieces together is a great fine-motor activity!
- Tie a knot when you reach the end of the holes, and then trim the extra yarn. Slide a hand inside and get these underwater friends swimming!
I do have one confession. Even though these are supposed to be for kids, I keep finding myself playing around with them and going back to make more! The fish swim up and down, do tricks, and all kinds of fun things. I hope your little ones enjoy acting out an undersea adventure as much as I have!
Happy Crafting!