Introduction: Paper Dog Puppet

About: During the COVID-19 crisis, all of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship's religious services moved into an online-only format. I generally organize Sunday school activities for the children of the Fellowship …

In today's story, a man on a journey generously gave of himself to save a thirsty dog. Dogs drink by lapping up with their tongues, and it's really cute. Let's make our own cute and slobbery dog puppets!

(Note: These paper dog puppets may look like they're panting for water, but luckily, paper dogs don't need water, and you won't want to try and give them a drink.)

Supplies

-construction paper (or a rectangle of paper cut from a paper bag!)

-markers or crayons

-scissors

-glue

Step 1: Fold Your Paper.

Your dog can be any color. I decided I would make mine brown.

Take your piece of paper, and fold it in thirds lengthwise. They don't need to be exactly even!

Step 2: Glue the Paper.

Lift the flap of the last fold, and put glue all over one side of the paper. Stick the surfaces together, pressing firmly. Let it dry.

Step 3: Fold the Paper Again.

Once the glue has dried, flip the paper with the glued side down. Fold it in half. Then, fold the top flap in half, folding it down. Flip the paper over and do the same on the other side. It should look like a big M once you've done all the folds.

Look! You can slip your fingers in the top and bottom to manipulate it like a puppet mouth.

Step 4: Cut Out Ears and a Tongue.

Taking two other pieces of construction paper in different colors, I cut out ear and tongue shapes. I bet your ears and tongue will look different than mine! All dogs are unique!

Step 5: Assemble Your Dog.

I glued on the ears and tongue, and then I drew on a face.

Step 6: Play With Your Puppet.

Does your puppet have a name? Maybe you could make your puppet a friend. You can use this basic pattern to make any kind of animal by changing the colors and the things you glue on. Add feathers to make a bird! Or horns to make a goat! Or spikes to make it a monster?

Have fun!