Kid Crafts: Elephant Puppet

Let your child have a hand in making this fun project.

By the editors of Child, Photo by Andrew McCaul

Measure the length of your child's hand from the top of his middle finger to his wrist. Then measure the width and add 1 1/2" to each of the measurements. Help your child trace a rectangle with those dimensions on two pieces of gray felt and cut them out using child-safe scissors.
Position the rectangles vertically, and fold each rectangle in half lengthwise. Trim the top outside corners (away from the center crease) into soft curves. Then unfold the felt rectangles. They will become the elephant's body.
To make the ears, cut out two pieces of the leftover gray felt in a half-oval shape approximately 4" long and 3" wide (for a 6"-long body; adjust proportionately depending on the size of your child's hand). Then cut out two smaller pieces of pink felt in the same shape as the gray ear. Help your child glue a pink piece to the front of each ear, leaving some gray showing all around.
Lay one of the original gray rectangles flat with the curved end facing away from you, and apply a line of glue 1/4" in from the outer edge on all sides except the bottom. Place the straight end of one ear on the glue (with the pink facing up) at a 2 o'clock angle. Repeat with the other ear at a 10 o'clock angle. Then place the second gray rectangle on top of the first one, and help your child press the glue-lined edges together.
To make the elephant's trunk, cut out a long, narrow piece of gray felt about 4 1/2" long (for a 6"-long body). Make it slightly curved and tapered. Have your child glue the wider end to the center of the elephant's face. Then help her glue two plastic eyes an inch above the trunk. Wait a few hours for the glue to dry. Then put on a puppet show with your child and his friends!

What You'll Need