Spider puppet

Age

For toddlers and above.

This craft activity is great for many ages as it can be altered to be made more challenging as kids get older.

Duration of activity

This activity can last for as little as 10 or 15 minutes or up to half an hour depending on the age of your kids and how challenging you have made the task.

Materials/equipment

• Spider template
  
• A hole punch
• String/ribbon/length of wool (as long as you want the spider to hang – see safety precautions below)
• 2 paper clips
• 1 straw
• A pen
• Goggly eyes and/or any other materials you would like to use to decorate the spider

Cost

The cost of this activity should be minimal as most of the materials are things that can usually be found around the house, such as the pen, paper clip and hole punch. The majority of the cost will depend on what materials you buy for your child to decorate their spider with.

What to do

• Cut out the spider template of the spider for your child or if they are older, let them do this themself.
• Stick on the goggly eyes, colour in spider and complete any other decorations you would like.
• Next, place your spider on a hard surface and roll each leg around a pen individually to curl them.
• Using the hole punch, cut two holes onto the sides of the spider.
• Thread one end of the string through the hole and either sticky tape it in place or attach the paper clip to the end of the string so it will not slip back out of the hole.
• Sticky tape the other end of the string to one end of the straw.
• Put another length of string through the hole on the other side of the spider’s abdomen, affix with a paper clip and sticky tape, and then attach to the other end of the straw so your child cam move both sides of the spider like a puppet.

Tips

• You can also make puppets of other animals and insects using the same method.
• To make this activity even more fun you can sing incy, wincy spider both while you are making the puppet and afterwards when your child is playing with it
• The spider template can be printed on coloured or white paper. If you choose white paper, your child can then colour the spider in themselves.
• If you want the spider to last longer, use thicker printing paper or cut out the template over a piece of card to use card for your spider template rather than paper.
• You can also use hole reinforcement stickers over the hole punched holes in the spider to prevent tearing.
• If your child is younger it is best to provide them with a pre-cut spider, but if they are older they can cut out the spider themselves.
• Use an old box, such as a nappy box to cut a window and add pieces of fabric as curtains to make your own puppet theatre.
• For younger children you may want to just stick the spider on a popsicle stick rather than using string

Safety

• The string can be made long or short depending on the age of your child due to choking hazards if they tie it round their neck.
• Don’t use the goggly eyes or other decorations for young children which may create a choking hazard.
• Supervise young children around use of scissors.

Download the printable version

Download alternative printable spider probs