Make A Paper Toy!
Make a movable paper puppet using paper, scissors, fasteners, and markers; cut shapes, assemble jointed limbs, and decorate to play creative stories.
Step-by-step guide to make a paper toy
Step 1
Gather all the materials and find a flat workspace to make your puppet.
Step 2
Choose a character idea and think about its head body arms and legs.
Step 3
Use your pencil and ruler to draw the head torso and limbs on the paper.
Step 4
Cut out each drawn piece carefully with scissors.
Step 5
Arrange the cut pieces on the table to decide where the joints should go.
Step 6
Make a small hole at each joint spot using a hole punch or the tip of the scissors with an adult's help.
Step 7
Push a paper fastener through the matching holes to attach one limb at a time.
Step 8
Fold or flatten the back of each fastener so the pieces move but stay connected.
Step 9
Decorate your puppet with markers to add a face clothes and fun details.
Step 10
Move the limbs to test the joints and adjust any tightness if needed.
Step 11
Share your finished puppet on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of a hole punch or paper fasteners if we don't have them?
If you don't have a hole punch or paper fasteners, make the holes with a needle or the tip of the scissors with adult help and use small brass brads/split pins from a craft store or thread and tie yarn through the holes and secure with tape as a safe substitute for the paper fastener step.
My puppet's limbs are tearing or the joints are too tight/loose — how do we fix that?
If joints tear, reinforce each joint spot with a small square of clear tape before punching and move the hole slightly inward or use a larger paper fastener, and if movement is too tight flatten or ease the back of the fastener as instructed to restore joint mobility.
How can we adapt this activity for different age groups?
For ages 3–5, pre-draw and pre-cut the head/body/limbs and use large brads and marker decoration with close adult supervision; for ages 6–9 let children follow the draw-cut-punch-attach steps on cardstock; and for 10+ challenge them to design more joints and detailed decorations before testing and adjusting movement.
How can we enhance or personalize the puppet beyond coloring with markers?
You can glue on googly eyes, fabric scraps or felt for clothes, attach a popsicle-stick handle to the back or add string to make a simple marionette, then photograph your finished puppet to share on DIY.org as suggested in the final step.
Watch videos on how to make a paper toy
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Facts about paper crafts for kids
✂️ Papercraft covers cutting, folding, and assembling paper into toys and models—kirigami is the paper-cutting cousin of origami.
🖍️ Decorating and assembling paper toys helps children build fine motor skills, planning, and imaginative play.
🎭 Paper puppets and shadow puppetry have been used for storytelling for many centuries across Asia and Europe.
🧷 Simple brass fasteners (brads) are a classic trick to make jointed paper dolls with movable arms and legs.
🌿 Using recycled or scrap paper for papercrafts makes the activity more eco-friendly and reduces waste.
How do you make a movable paper puppet?
What materials do I need to make a paper toy puppet?
What ages is the paper puppet activity suitable for?
What are some fun variations or ways to play with a paper toy puppet?
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