Today we have a fun shadow puppet craft that starts with printable animals cutouts that easily transform into puppets! Download, print, cutout and create the coolest animal shadows from your homemade shadow puppets. Kids of all ages can make their own custom shadow puppets at home or in the classroom.
Animal Shadow Puppets Craft for Kids
This super simple shadow puppet craft uses our free printable animal templates and popsicle sticks to create the simple shadow puppets.
Related: Make shadow art
Download & Print Shadow Puppet pdf Files Here
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Supplies Needed to Make Shadow Puppets
- White cardstock
- Popsicle sticks
- Tape or glue
- Scissors
- Free printable shadow puppet template – see step 1 below
- Solar powered light or lantern
Directions to Make Animal Shadow Puppets
Step 1
Print out your free printable animal shadow puppet templates on white cardstock paper.
Tip: We used cardstock because it is sturdy and will help the shadow puppets stand up better, but you could print on regular paper and then glue a heavier paper onto the back to add stability to the animal puppets.
Step 2
Then cut out your shadow puppet animals with scissors. There are 14 animal puppets that range from fish to flamingos so there is bound to be something that all kids will enjoy!
Step 3
Glue (or tape) your animal puppets to the popsicle sticks. The higher you attach the popsicle stick to the back of the animal, the more sturdy the finished shadow puppet.
Finished Animal Shadow Puppet Show
Use your light to illuminate a wall and then place your puppets in between the light and the wall to create shadows of the animals. Then the kids can explore their creativity!
Related: Check out these zoo coloring pages! They’re so cute!
More Puppet Crafts from Kids Activities Blog
- Craft these adorable paperbag puppets!
- Make your own groundhog paper bag puppet.
- Make a clown puppet with paint sticks and the puppet template.
- Make easy felt puppets like this heart puppet.
- Check out over 25 puppets for kids that you can make at home or in the classroom.
- Make a stick puppet!
- Make minion finger puppets.
- Or DIY ghost finger puppets.
- Learn how to draw a puppet.
- Make the alphabet letter puppets.
- Make paper doll princess puppets.
Have you ever made shadow puppets with your kids?
Truly awesome to play some imaginative stories with these shadow puppets.