These adorable paper bag puppets are such a fun craft for back-to-school season! Kids can make a colorful box of crayons or a cheerful notebook using simple supplies and our printable templates.
They’re cute enough to use as classroom decorations, but because they’re made with paper bags, kids can also slip their hands inside and turn them into puppets for some imaginative play.
This would be a fun first-week-of-school activity, an addition to a homeschool art lesson, or simply a creative way to get kids excited about a new school year.
For another fun way to celebrate a new school year, try our Moving School Bus Craft too.
Supplies Needed
- Colored craft paper
- Paper lunch bags
- Pencil
- Printable templates
- Scissors
- Craft glue or glue stick
- Markers
Tip: Younger children may need some help tracing and cutting the smaller pieces. You can also prepare some of the pieces ahead of time and let them concentrate on assembling and decorating their puppets.
How to Make a Box of Crayons Paper Bag Puppet
Step 1
Download and print the crayon box template. Choose several colors of craft paper for the different pieces.
Trace the template pieces onto the corresponding papers with a pencil, then carefully cut them out.
Step 2
Glue the corner pieces and decorative strips onto the crayon box cutout.
Step 3
Use a black marker to add the detail lines to each paper crayon. These little details help make the crayons look more realistic.
Step 4
Find the arch-shaped piece from the template. This will serve as the holder for your crayons.
Arrange the paper crayons across the holder until you’re happy with how they look, then glue them in place.
Step 5
Locate the two strip pieces for the bottom of the crayon holder. Glue the thinner strip along one edge of the wider strip.
Step 6
Glue the completed strip across the bottom of the crayon holder. This covers the ends of the crayons and makes them look as though they’re tucked inside their box.
Step 7
Choose a paper lunch bag for your puppet and lay it flat with the flap facing you.
Step 8
Glue the main crayon box piece onto the front of the paper bag.
Step 9
Glue the crayon holder to the bag’s bottom flap. When you put your hand inside the bag and move the flap, this becomes the movable part of your puppet.
Step 10
Finish your crayon box puppet by gluing on the eyes and rosy cheeks. Use a black marker to draw a happy mouth.
Your colorful box of crayons is ready for some back-to-school puppet fun!
How to Make a Notebook Paper Bag Puppet
Step 1
Download and print the notebook puppet template. Choose the colors you’d like to use for your notebook and its details.
Trace the template pieces onto colored craft paper with a pencil and cut them out.
Step 2
Glue the page piece to the top portion of the notebook. Add the label piece to the front of the notebook base.
Step 3
Glue the ribbon bookmark onto the page section.
Next, add the eyes and rosy cheeks above the notebook label.
Step 4
Lay a paper lunch bag flat with the bottom flap facing you.
Glue the top portion of the notebook to the flattened flap of the bag.
Step 5
Glue the notebook base onto the front of the paper bag, lining it up with the top portion.
Use a black marker to add a mouth and any other details you’d like.
Your notebook puppet is finished!
Ways to Use Your Back-to-School Puppets
Once the glue has dried, these don’t have to simply sit on the refrigerator looking cute. Turn them into part of your back-to-school fun!
Kids can use their puppets to:
- Put on a silly back-to-school puppet show.
- Act out a story about the first day of school.
- Practice introducing themselves before heading into a new classroom.
- Make up personalities and names for their crayon box and notebook.
- Use them as props while reading a favorite school-themed book.
- Create several school-supply puppets and make up a story about what happens in the classroom after everyone goes home.
For a classroom or homeschool activity, children could even use their puppets to talk about something they’re looking forward to learning or doing during the new school year.
A Little Crayon Fun Fact
Did you know Crayola crayons were introduced in 1903? One of the earliest sets made for young artists included 28 colors with names like celestial blue, golden ochre, rose pink, and burnt sienna.
You can see some fascinating crayons and other school supplies from the past at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Make Them Your Own
The template gives kids a starting point, but there’s plenty of room to personalize these puppets.
Try different colors for the crayon box or notebook, add eyelashes or funny eyebrows, decorate the notebook label with a child’s name, or give each puppet its own expression.
Kids could even add stickers, doodles, tiny paper decorations, or other embellishments to make their school-supply characters completely unique.
These paper bag crayon box and notebook puppets are an easy way to combine crafting with imaginative play and they make an especially cute activity for those exciting days leading up to a brand-new school year.
If your kids love crafts they can play with when they’re finished, they might also enjoy our Paper Cup Launching Rocket.
Get more craft ideas like this along with delicious easy meals and fun holiday celebrations by subscribing to our newsletter. We often send out free printables in these as well, just for our email subscribers.
Leave a Reply