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These ocean animal stick puppets are super easy to make with this FREE PRINTABLE. To give the puppets a place to play, there are also directions on how to create an ocean scene. Also, I share how we store our stick puppets with the ocean scene. My toddler absolutely loves playing with these puppets. We didn’t even have the ocean scene finished before she started to play with them. I hope your child enjoys them as much as my little one!
Creating the ocean animal stick puppets
Things you will need for the stick puppets
- 10 popsicle sticks
- 2 pieces of white cardstock
- Scissors
- Tape
- Crayons, markers, or colored pencils (optional)
How to make the stick puppets
- Print the ocean animals onto your white card stock
- (Optional) have your child color the animals
- Cut out the animals
- Tape each animal to a popsicle stick
TA-DA! Done!
Creating a cute ocean scene for your puppets
Things you will need for the ocean scene
- Cardstock in the following colors
- Dark blue – 1
- Light blue – 1
- Turquoise – 1
- Yellow – 1
- Scissors
- Tape
- Ruler
- Cup or bottle to trace a circle (I used my amazing Camelbak coffee tumbler that keeps my coffee hot for hours)
How to make the ocean scene
Sun
- Using a bottle or cup, trace a circle onto the yellow cardstock
- Cut out the circle
- Cut 2 long strips and 2 shorter strips to create the sun’s rays
- Place the sun circle behind the light blue cardstock in one of the corners
- Trace where the corner is on the circle
- Cut the corner out of the circle (Bonus: you now also have a PacMan!)
- Tape the sun’s rays onto the back of the sun alternating large and small
- Tape the sun onto the corner of the light blue paper
Ocean
- Using your ruler, scissors, and pencil, measure and cut your dark blue piece of cardstock to be 2” x 11”.
- Using your ruler, scissors, and pencil, measure and cut your turquoise piece of cardstock to be 3 ½ “ x 11”.
- Place your light blue paper in front of you in a landscape direction.
- Place your turquoise paper on top of your light blue paper and line it up with the bottom of the light blue paper.
- Tape the sides of the paper together. (DO NOT TAPE THE BOTTOM, only the sides)
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the dark blue strip of paper.
YAY!!!! You did it! This cute stick puppet show has an ocean scene that goes with it. I am sure your toddler or preschooler will have as much fun with it as ours is.
How to store
I created the ocean scene and puppets no larger than an 8 ½ “ x 11” piece of paper. This way, I can store the whole thing in one of these zippered binder pockets.
These zippered pockets will not bend easily so they are perfect for keeping the paper safe from creasing. Other than storing crafts, I use them to take the paperwork to and from any doctor’s appointments we have. It fits great into the part of the diaper bag that holds the changing pad.
Other Uses for the stick puppets
Shadow puppet show
To create a shadow puppet show, all you need is
- Flashlight or lamp
- Light-colored sheet
- Two chairs
Place the two chairs about 3’ apart with the backs toward each other. Nest, drape the sheet over the backs of both chairs. Put the flashlight behind the puppets and have fun!
Set up a blanket for the ocean scene
If you have more than one child playing with the stick puppets, you will need a bigger ocean scene. Try using a blanket and two chairs. This will give plenty of room for the children to put on a show.
Teach where each animal lives in the ocean
The ocean scene created above can also teach where ocean animals live. For example, a crab lives along the bottom of the water. But, a dolphin lives close to the top of the water because it needs air.
Please let me know if you have other ideas on how to use these puppets in the comments.
If your toddler or preschooler has a birthday coming up, take a look at these adorable thank you notes.
If you are looking for ways to teach your toddler letters, take a look at this roundup of 5 amazing bloggers with over 100 ideas on how to teach letters.
