Don’t you love it when you can tell that your child is really comprehending a book? It’s even better when you hear them retelling a story! One way to help young children engage with books is by using puppets. You can make your own puppets using inexpensive materials or those you might have around the house. While there are several types of puppets you can make from socks, bags, and cardboard tubes, my favorite is a stick puppet. You can make them quickly. Plus, they are easy for young children to hold and help children remember and tell the story on their own.
DIY STICK PUPPETS
1. Gather your materials: Use white paper. For the sticks, see what you have around the house like a straw or pencil, or purchase craft sticks. For the “stage” use an empty tissue box or paper cup. Optional: crayons, markers, lamination sheets.
2. Look through your books: Children can help decide which board book or picture book to use.
3. Copy your character: Trace and draw or scan and print a page from the book with the character(s) you want to use. Cut around the character’s shape or make cutting easy by using a square.
4. Complete your character: Use crayons or markers to add color to your character(s) if needed. To make your puppets last longer, laminate or cover with clear contact paper.
5. Kids can help: Allow children to help, depending on their age and ability. They can color, cut, and tape or glue the character to the stick. If glued, allow to dry.
6. Make your stage: Cut a rectangle from a tissue box to be your “stage.” Or cut a slit in the bottom of a paper cup so your stick puppet can peek out.
7. Time to read: When you read the book, children can hold up characters on the stage, move them around, or simply hold them. Or, you can read and hold the stick puppet yourself. Let the child take the lead.
8. After reading: Store the puppets near or next to the book so children can retell the story themselves.
There are so many benefits to reading and acting out stories using puppets, such as comprehension, creativity, and emotional development. But children don’t think about that—they just know puppets are fun!
Congrats to Karen H. who won The World’s BEST Christmas Light in the December giveaway.
Happy New Year! May you enjoy a year of blessings, good health, and prosperity.
BOOK NEWS!
Amy Houts is the author of 100+ books for children. She writes for both faith-based and general market publishers. Amy’s faith-based books include Where Did the Bible Come From upcoming in June, 2026, bath books, Noah’s Ark and The Creation (Sunbeam/Bushel & Peck Books), God’s Earth is Something to Fight For (Sunbeam/Bushel & Peck Books), and God’s Protection Covers Me (Beaming Books). Amy’s educational books include four “Curious About Holidays” books from Amicus, releasing from Amicus in July, 2026, 60 retold tales for the series, Compass Children’s Classics. Her 10 nonfiction science early readers were published by Highlights. To find out more, see:
https://amyhouts.com
and Linktr.ee/amyhouts.
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