Video:How to Make Felt Finger Puppets

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Transcript:How to Make Felt Finger Puppets

Hi, I'm Holly Deambrosi for About.com. Character toys make a child's imagination flourish. So I'm going to show you how to make some basic felt finger puppets that you can adapt to any character you want.

Choose Finger Puppet Characters

First, help your children decide what they want their finger puppets to be. Will they be animals or people? They might want to make storybook characters, like Goldilocks and the three bears.

Finger Puppet Supplies

Once you've chosen your theme, you'll want to gather materials for the puppet. You will need:

• Felt in different colors
• Fabric scissors
• A ruler or measuring tape
• Fabric marking pen
• Needle and thread that matches the color of felt you'll use for the body of the puppet
• Craft glue or a hot glue gun
• Decorative embellishments such as wiggly eyes, beads, buttons, ribbon, pompoms, feathers and any other frills that will make a fun puppet

Form Puppets From the Felt

Mark a 2" by 3 1/2" rectangle on your felt. You may want to make a paper template that you can trace onto the felt if you are making multiple puppets. Round the end for the puppet's head. Cut out two pieces of felt for each puppet.

Sew the Puppets Together

If your children are old enough, have them blanket stitch the two rectangles together, leaving the bottom side open. To blanket stitch, simply insert the needle through the fabric, pull it around the piece and reinsert it the same direction you did in the previous stitch. Note: You may want to add the ears while you're stitching the seam, so they can be sewn right in.

Decorate the Finger Puppets

Add character details to your puppet such as eyes, nose, mouth, ears, tail, and so forth. Then put a piece of cotton inside to fill out the head. Your puppet is ready for the show!

The important thing is to have fun, and encourage your children to use their imaginations. Let them make their own design for a puppet if they want. That's all part of the fun!

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at About.com.