Fish Finger Puppet / Craft Tutorial for Preschool
I love finger puppets! And I especially love sewing finger puppets with children! This craft tutorial from Storytime in the Schoolhouse shows you how to sew a simple fish finger puppet from a piece of felt.
Twice a month, our Storytime members have a “Craft Visit with Ms. Rae” and learn a new nature-based craft project. This video clip shares one of those craft visits. This project also goes along with the story Shimmer & Glimmer’s New Home.
Hand-sewn Fish Finger Puppet
Sew a simple finger puppet with felt.
Materials:
- Simple fish pattern
- Felt
- Needle
- Thread
- Scissors
Method:
- Find or draw a simple fish template to use as your pattern. Using sturdy paper or thin cardboard will make your pattern easier to trace.
- Trace the pattern onto the fabric twice. You should have two fish drawn on your piece of felt.
- Cut the two fish out and place them on top of one another.
- Cut the desired thread length, knot the end, and thread your needle.
- Leave an opening at the bottom of your fish where you will insert your finger. Mark that opening now with a pencil or piece of chalk. Start sewing at one edge of the opening for your finger and end at the other edge.
- To begin sewing, push the needle up from the bottom, through both layers of felt, and out the top. Pull the thread taut.
- Repeat this step by bringing the thread up from the bottom, through both layers, and out the top. Pull the thread taut.
- Repeat this process until you have sewn all the way around the fish to the marked opening for your finger.
- Tie a knot in your thread to secure it, and carefully snip the end with scissors.
- Insert your finger into the fish, and you have a puppet!
Idea: Use a blue silk or fabric to cover your finger before you put your finger in the puppet to give your fish some water to swim in.
This finger puppet is a companion to Shimmer & Glimmer’s New Home, a story about separation and divorce for young children.
Interested in other summer-themed, nature-based craft projects?
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