[Childcare] Paper theater ideas to use in activities—great for filling small gaps and for birthday parties
Here are some ideas for “paper puppet shows,” a familiar activity in nursery schools and kindergartens!
A paper puppet show is basically a paper doll theater.
You draw characters and other illustrations on two pieces of thick paper, attach a stick between them, and twirl the stick as you perform.
You can use it during short breaks in childcare or as a play for events, and it’s also great for activities that spark interest in food or help children enjoy songs more—the possibilities are endless!
Once you make one, you can use it anytime, which is another nice perk.
Enjoy a variety of paper puppet shows together with the children.
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[Childcare] Paper puppet show ideas to include in activities. Great for filler time and birthday parties (11–20)
dragonfly glasses
This is a paper puppet show performed while singing along to the children’s song “Tonbo no Megane” (Dragonfly’s Glasses).
You put blue, gold, and red glasses—matching the lyrics—onto a dragonfly puppet.
The glasses can be made from colored construction paper.
It’s a puppet show that everyone can join in by singing.
If you make the glasses from various materials like pipe cleaners or colored cellophane, the children will be excited, wondering, “What kind of glasses will come next?” Prepare and practice while imagining how the children will react.
carrot, burdock, daikon
A paper puppet show featuring dirt-covered vegetables taking a bath: “Carrot, Burdock, and Daikon.” While children often see clean vegetables, many may have never seen vegetables with soil still on them.
The veggies look adorable after taking a bath and washing off the dirt, too.
Even children who aren’t fond of baths might come to appreciate how nice a bath feels by watching the show.
You can adapt it with any vegetables that grow in the soil, so why not introduce a variety of ingredients?
Silhouette Quiz
Let’s try a silhouette quiz with paper puppets (pape-sart).
Incorporating a silhouette quiz into your paper puppet show makes it fun for everyone to participate.
Look at the silhouette and guess what it is.
Flip it over, and the correct answer appears.
Choose familiar motifs for children, such as foods, things found in the classroom, or shoes.
It’s fine to make and add more items based on the children’s reactions! You’ll likely enjoy a variety of responses—some kids will try hard to answer the quiz, while others will watch with intense focus.
fruit parfait
This is a paper puppet show where you pile lots of fruit into a big bowl to make a fruit parfait that kids love.
You insert strawberries, bananas, melons, and more into the bowl in time with the song.
Finish by adding whipped cream, and it’s done! Let’s make the fruits kids love and keep adding them one after another.
As children play with the paper puppets a lot, they’ll naturally learn the lyrics and start singing along! Feel free to add other fruits and enjoy arranging it your own way.
Mysterious Shaved Ice
Let’s play with a shaved-ice paper puppet show that kids love.
At first, there’s a bowl filled with ice but no syrup—no color at all.
When we cast a magic spell… the syrup appears! On the back, the ice is drawn in color, and when you twirl the chopstick, it looks as if syrup is being poured on.
Because there’s a fun mechanism, children will stay focused and enjoy it, and when it comes to the eating scene, they’ll be totally absorbed and show all sorts of expressions.
The Do-Re-Mi Song
Let’s turn the well-known song “Do-Re-Mi” into a paper puppet show (paper theater)! Make puppets from Do to Ti, and put illustrations like a donut, a lemon, etc.
on the back.
You can do it while everyone sings together.
You can draw the illustrations, or make them with colored construction paper for a cute look.
From the second verse onward, it’s much easier for children to visualize if the teachers demonstrate the actions together.
It’s also a great idea to create larger props for an event and practice repeatedly.
Let’s spend a fun time together with the children.
[Childcare] Paper puppet show ideas to use in activities. Great for filler time or birthday parties (21–30)
Fingerplay paper puppet (Pepaato)
Let’s put a fun twist on hand games that are super popular with kids and put on a show! Here are some ideas for hand-game paper puppets.
How many times a day do you play hand games with the children? Among those, take the hand games they’re most into and adapt them into paper-puppet versions to play! It could be fun to set a special Hand Game Day and try playing by adapting them into paper puppets, a panel theater, or even picture books.
Use the children’s reactions as a guide and enjoy the event together with them!