Make Your Own Santa Puppet

We are constantly amazed by Cute Potato #1’s wonderful nursery school, and the people who are involved in making the classroom a great place to be each week. During the class holiday party, one of the parents shared a fun craft project, which we loved: the paper bag Santa puppet.

Behold, our very own St. Nick

While we try to be crafty at our house, making something great is always a challenge. Thankfully, the paper bag Santa is surprisingly easy. Here’s everything you need to get started (all available at your local craft store):

• Standard-size paper lunch bag
• One set of googly eyes
• Large white pompom
• Small pink pompom
• One square white felt
• One square black felt
• One sheet red construction paper
• Silver glitter
• Tempera paint
• Elmer’s glue
• Scissors

Paint the open-end/short side of a paper lunch bag, as well as Santa’s face (the rectangular base of the bag) in desired colors, and allow to dry.

When the paint has dried, measure the width of the bag, and cut out a triangular hat with red construction paper using the base measurement. Santa’s white felt hat trim should be cut to the same width, too.

Cut out two construction paper rectangles for arms and white felt for the trim, using desired length and width. Use black felt to draw and cut out Santa’s mittens.

Use the bag’s width measurement to create and cut out Santa’s beard using white felt. Draw a skinny, figure eight on the white felt for Santa’s mustache, and cut that piece out, too.

Using the same width measurement as the hat, draw and cut out Santa’s belt using black felt. You can create a belt buckle using silver glitter.

Glue the white pompom and trim to the triangular hat. Then glue the hat to Santa’s head. Glue on the googly eyes, pink pompom and mustache to his face. Gently lift the base of the bag and glue on Santa’s beard.

Next, glue Santa’s fur trim and mittens to construction paper arms and glue them to the side creases of the bag.

Finally, glue on Santa’s belt. And voila— your very own holiday puppet!

PS: We’re excited to try our own versions of this puppet… an elf, a reindeer and Mrs. Claus, too.