Six years ago I created the puppets for the Nativity story that are featured in the post below. It has been one of the most visited posts of the Past Times website since its existence. In 2020, during the first Christmas season of the Pandemic the puppets were used by schools, families and church groups in nine different countries to share the story online (view a compilation of the films in Nativity Puppets in Quarantine ).
Puppets attached with velcro to board covered with felt
My daughter Sara and have written a story-and-craft activity book that includes the patterns with instructions, which will hopefully be out for the Christmas 2025 season. The puppets of Mary, Jesus, Joseph, and the angel, however, are already available in the Printable Library. Other characters can be created from the mix-and-match patterns in the category Bible Stories.
The Nativity story in twelve scenes
Joseph and Mary are traveling to Bethlehem to register for the census. Mary is expecting her baby soon.
Mary is taking a break to stretch her legs. They are nearing Bethlehem.Mary feels that the baby is coming. But the only room left in Bethlehem is in a stable. Before Mary can give birth Joseph first has to get the ox outside.The angel Gabriel, who helped with the delivery, shows Jesus to the ox and the donkey before flying off to tell the shepherds.The shepherds are very excited to hear the news.They adore the baby.Far away three wise men see a star that tells them that a special child is born.The ox and donkey nibble some hay while keeping Jesus warm.The wise men have started their journey to follow the star, bringing gifts for the child.Soon Mary and Joseph are able to take their baby home.For the wise men it is a long journey. But they do not give up until they find the child announced by the star.When they finally find Jesus they offer their gifts and give thanks.
My most recent fun with silhouette (shadow) puppets has been using them as magnetic puppets. You can create a magnetic board by covering a metal sheet with thin paper and attach the puppets with magnetic
Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was a world famous athlete, actor, singer, and activist, who became known for both his cultural achievements as well as his political stances. In this post some information, as well as a
Have you have been enjoying Beyoncé’s latest album Cowboy Carter and maybe even tried the viral dance moves to Texas Hold’em? Then you may enjoy making a silhouette puppet of Beyoncé and let her dance.
Most of the puppets in the Black History section of our Printable Library are the result of shadow puppetry projects that I did during Black History month with my friend Davie-Lyn Jones, a fifth grade
If you think that shadow puppets can only be used for shadow puppetry, you are wrong! Among the many puppets with patterns in our Printable Library I have used the puppets above not only in
Many posts on this site have been about using silhouette puppets to engage with history by acting out stories. However, they can also be great for language arts, allowing students to interact with a historical
In the weeks leading up to Christmas I have shown how to use corrugated cardboard for a Nativity display stand and stop motion films. In this post I am sharing instructions how to make a
Joseph and Mary marveling at the miracle of Mary’s pregnancy In 2020 I made patterns available to act out the Nativity story as a shadow play. This advent season I am sharing just a
In 2020, when Covid prevented people to celebrate Christmas the way they used to, I shared patterns to act out the nativity story as a shadow puppet performance at home, in the classroom, or online.
