Making Sock Puppets with Kids

Are you always finding lonely socks lying around? How about putting them to good use and making sock puppets with the kids?

They’re so easy to make – you only need a few materials! – and putting them together is sure to bring out your child’s creative side.

The fun doesn’t stop once the puppets have been made, either: your kids can make up names, characters and narratives for their puppets, and have them act out scenarios of their own devising.

These types of fun activities for kids are great for developing their imagination and storytelling skills!

Sock Puppets! by Jodimichelle

Here we’ll show you how you can make your own sock puppets

Materials needed:

• Odd socks
• Strong fabric glue
• Buttons or googly eyes (you can buy these in most craft shops)
• Marker pen
• Coloured ribbon
• Coloured feathers

Here’s how to do it!

First of all, get the kids to choose a sock and get it ready to decorate.

1 Add The Eyes

Start by getting the marker pen and drawing two dots on the socks for the eyes – this should be two points near the toe section of the sock.

The dots will act as a guide and help you to avoid any wonky eye situations!

Next, get the kids to take two googly eyes or buttons and apply a little fabric glue to the back of each.

Get them to carefully stick the eyes to the marked dots and press down until the glue is dry.

You’ll see that the sock puppet is already taking shape!

Sock Puppets! by Jodimichelle

2 Add A Nose

To add a nose, use the marker again to place a dot above the eyes (the toe of the sock still being the top), getting it as close to the middle as possible.

The kids can then take a button, apply a little glue to one side and press it onto the marked dot until it is fixed into place.

3 Add Hair with Feathers

Next, hair can be added using either feathers, ribbon or wool.

If you’re using feathers, help the kids to take around four or five medium-sized pieces and arrange them around two inches below the eyes (always working downwards from the toe of the sock).

Point the tips of the feathers inwards to create a fan effect, making sure the feathers are evenly spaced.

Once you’re happy with the positioning, get the kids to apply an even layer of glue to the bottom of each feather, and hold down until it dries.

Sock Puppets! by Jodimichelle

4 Add Hair with Ribbons

To use ribbon for the hair, cut a few pieces of around three or four inches in length.

Get the kids to position the ribbon below the eyes and evenly place the ribbon to create strands of hair. After that, a blob of glue can be applied to the bottom of each piece of ribbon and held in place until dry.

Sock Puppets! by Jodimichelle

So there you have it! An easy and fun activity to do with the kids that requires limited materials and minimal effort.

Why not get them to experiment with other materials such as pom poms, wool or felt pieces? Let their imaginations run wild and see what they can create!

Have you made sock puppets with your kids before? How did it turn out?