One of our favorite family activities in the winter is building a snowman. Thus far this year, the weather has been very mild and there is no evidence of snow anytime in the near future. For the most part this makes me very happy, but it means no snowmen and sledding.
We decided to craft snowmen. You will stay warm and dry while this snowman puppet and it won’t melt a couple of days later.
This Paper Bag Snowman Puppet doubles a craft and play activity.
Puppets are a great addition to children’s play. They can stimulate children’s imaginations, encourage creativity, and initiate communication and narration.
Supplies:
- White lunch size paper bags
- Card stock or construction paper (black, orange and various colors for buttons)
- Optional: 3/8″ circle craft punch, 3/4″ circle craft punch, 1″ circle craft punch
- Glue stick
My kids love to use my craft punches. Craft punches are really good for working on fine motor skills and strengthening the muscles in little ones’ fingers.
If you don’t have craft punches, look around your house for similar size items and use those items to create a template for your eyes, mouth, and buttons.
Directions:
This is a very simple craft project with just a few steps, making it prefect for young kids.
- Using a 3/8″ mini circle craft punch, cut out about 5 circles from the black paper to form the mouth. Use a glue stick to attach the circles to the bottom of the bag forming a mouth.
- Using a 3/4″ circle craft punch, cut out 2 circles from black paper for the eyes. Use a glue stick and attach to the paper bag.
- Cut a small triangle from the orange paper for the nose and glue to the bag.
- Using the 1″ circle craft punch, cut out 3 circles in various colors and glue to the bag for the snowman’s buttons.
If you are making this snowman puppet with toddlers or preschoolers, this is a great opportunity to practice shapes, sizes, and colors.
- Have your child name the shapes used in this project: circle and triangle.
- There are three different size circles used for the eyes, mouth, and buttons. You could compare the sizes and talk about which ones are smaller and which ones are bigger.
- Have your child name the colors of the buttons.
I love incorporating learning into our craft projects. The kids are having so much fun, they don’t realize they are learning.
Have you had snowman building weather yet this winter?
That is a very cute idea. It looks so much easier with a circle punch, but we just have to look for things around the house to trace. Thanks for sharing the project.
Thanks Brenda! Those little circle punches do come in handy. If we need a size other than what we have we just trace something as you suggested. You could also use black buttons, sequins, or pom poms.