Easter Stick Puppets

Here’s an EGGstraordinarily fun idea keep the kids busy—Easter stick puppets. The templates used here are free to download.

Puppet crafts are always good value because they include a fun activity plus a DIY toy that can be incorporated into roleplay games when you’re done. Check out more of our puppet crafts here.

These stick puppets are recommended for ages 5 and up (I had loads of fun making them and I’m 46!). Preschoolers could make them too with some adult help. 

You might also like our printable bunny baskets

Last week we shared some open-ended egg shape templates with the promise of some creative project ideas to come. 

Here’s the first!

Create Easter characters just like mine, or let the kids go to town and design their own. There’s plenty of room for creative license with this project. 

Once you’re done crafting, extend the activity by making a backdrop ‘theatre’ for your puppets. This could be a cardboard box-turned-theatre, or a DIY cardboard backdrop similar to the one I’ve created. You even could blu-tack this to the wall and use it as a smartphone ‘movie set’. Of course, if you did that the kids would need to write a script …

But I’m getting ahead of myself—the puppets come first. Here are some simple Easter character ideas to get you started.

Bluebell and Lavender Bunny

There’s no such thing as too many bunny crafts.  Do you seriously think the Easter Bunny could deliver all those eggs in one night without any helpers? I’ll bet he has a whole army of them! 

Chip and Cheep the chicks

We adore chick crafts too, so I couldn’t make egg puppets without including a chick or two.

The Eggbert family

Meet Mr and Mrs Eggbert and their children Marsh (mellow-filled, of course), and Smartie. She’s a bit of a smartie pants and choc-full of them too.

I haven’t created specific templates for each character because it’s quicker and less fiddly to draw them yourself than to cut and trace them from a printable. Plus this way kids get to be more creative with it.

Age suggestion: 5+, although younger kids could make these with some adult help

How to make Easter stick puppets

 

You will need

• A set of our  Printable Google Eyes (or draw your own with a marker)
• Glue stick – I always use UHU brand (affiliate link) because it sticks the best 
• Jumbo craft sticks
• Sharpie marker
• Lead pencil
• Optional heart and flower paper punch shapes. I bought my set inexpensively from Kmart, but this set on Amazon looks similar (affiliate link)
• The printable egg templates. Enter your details in the form below for a copy

How to

Print a copy of the Egg Template 4 to coloured card stock. It’s best to print one copy and use a cutout egg as a trace-around template to get more colours and conserve paper.

Print a copy of Egg Template 6 to white card stock to use as extra glue-on shapes. 

Print a sheet of paper eyes. I’ve printed to card stock and used the second largest eye size for all my puppets, but ordinary paper is fine and you can use any eyes you want. 

Short cut tip: To cut out lots of egg shapes in one hit, staple a printout to a blank sheet of a different colour and cut them out at the same time. 

Use the above as a creative set-up, along with more card stock scraps for the parts. Then get creative and craft your characters.

General tips:

• Use a lead pencil to draw parts to glue on such as hair, arms, paws, wings, hats etc. You can also fringe scraps of paper and use for hair
• When you need two identical matching parts like arms, bunny ears or wings, fold a piece of paper over first and cut the two arms out together
• Use a sharpie marker to draw in extra details and facial expressions
• Add mini paper punch shapes to decorate. For example, hearts for cheeks and flowers for hair or hat accessories

To make puppets just like ours, here are more specific instructions

Lavender Bunny

1. Begin with a purple egg base
2. Cut two white mini egg shapes out for the snout
3. Fold a purple scrap of paper in half. Draw an ear and paw shape then cut out while the paper is still folded to get two of each shape
4. Fold a scrap of white in half and sketch an inner ear shape. Cut it out while folded to get two inner ears.
5. To get the round shape of the stomach, cut the top from a white egg and trim to the same curve as the purple base
6. Glue the paper shapes onto the base egg
7. Add eyes, a heart punch nose and flower punch hearts with hand-drawn mini leaf shapes for a floral crown
8. Add detail with a marker: cheek dots and paw lines
9. Glue to a craft stick

Chip the Chick

1. Begin with a yellow egg base
2. Fold a yellow scrap of paper in half. Draw a wing shape and cut out while the paper is still folded to get two wings.
3. Fold a scrap of orange in half and draw a chicken foot. Draw a beak against the fold. Cut out while the paper is still folded to get a beak that opens and two feet. 
4. Cut a small oblong of yellow (I’ve used a lighter yellow than the base) for the hair. Fringe it, then curl around a pencil. 
5. Glue the paper shapes onto the base egg
6. Add eyes and heart punch cheek spots. 
7. Draw a tongue inside your beak (optional)
8. Gue to a craft stick

Mr Eggbert

1. Begin with a brown egg base 
2. Fold pink scrap of paper in half. Draw an arm, an eyebrow and half a moustache against the fold. Cut out while the paper is still folded to get all the parts
3. Fold a scrap of yellow in half. Draw half a bow against the fold. Cut out to get a bow tie
4. Draw a hat and cut it out. Decorate with a pink paper strip for the hat band and a flower punch shape
5. Glue the paper shapes onto the base egg
6. Add eyes and an upside-down pink heart punch for the nose
7. Gue to a craft stick

I haven’t included step photos for the rest because they’re all made in the same way.

Mrs Eggbert

1. Begin with a green egg base
2. Cut arms from a scrap of aqua
3. Cut the tip from a small white egg and draw teeth on it for her mouth
4. Use four small eggs cut from yellow for her hair. Glue to on the front and two onto the back of the egg
5. Glue on eyes and draw a nose with marker
6. Add a flower punch shape hair decoration and pink heart cheeks
7. Glue to a craft stick

On to the Eggbert Children …

Marsh Eggbert

1. Begin with a purple egg base
2. Cut arms from a scrap of pink
3. Cut an oblong of orange scrap. Fringe it and curl around a pencil for the hair
4. Glue the shapes on
5. Glue on eyes and draw a nose and mouth with marker
6. Add pink heart punch cheeks
7. Glue to a craft stick

Smartie Eggbert

1. Begin with an aqua egg base
2. Cut arms from a scrap of pink
3. Cut the top quarter from a yellow egg shape. Fringe it and curl the edges around a pencil for her fringe
4. Fold a scrap of yellow in half. Sketch a pigtail on it and cut it out while folded to get two matching pigtails
5. Skectch and cut out arms from a folded scrap of pink
6. Glue paper shapes to the egg base
7. Glue on eyes and draw a nose and mouth with marker
8. Add pink heart punch cheeks
9. Make a flower crown from flower punch shapes and hand drawn leaves
10. Glue to a craft stick

Design your own puppets—Go crazy!

After that, it’s up to the kids to put on a show.

Check out more Spring Printables