Theater & Music Basket
Marionette String Puppets Basket
Simple wooden-bar marionettes that teach little hands the magic of pulling strings to bring a character alive.
Ages 3-620 min prep
What you'll need
- 2 craft sticks or thin wooden dowels per puppet, glued into a cross
- A small fabric doll, wooden peg doll, or paper cutout figure
- Thin cotton string or embroidery floss
- Scissors and strong tape
- A low table edge to perform from
How to make it
- 1
Glue two craft sticks into a plus sign and let dry — this is the control bar.
- 2
Cut four pieces of string, each about 30 cm long.
- 3
Tape one string to the puppet's head, one to its back, and one to each hand or foot.
- 4
Tie the other ends of the strings to the four tips of the control bar. Head string goes to the middle.
- 5
Show your child how to tilt the bar gently to make the puppet walk, wave, and bow.
- 6
Turn on some music and let the marionette dance across a table stage.
Tip
Start with just two strings (head and one hand) for younger kids. Add more strings as they get comfortable.