Are you looking for a fun, educational activity for your children to prepare them for the 4th of July? If so, we’ve got a fun idea for you to try. You can teach your kids history and art at the same time with our stick puppets of the presidents.
Making stick puppets is a fun activity that is affordable and fun. Your kids will love these, and you can even encourage your more dramatic kids to come up with their own stick puppet performance.
Now, let’s delve into how and what you need to make your presidential stick puppets.
What You Need To Make Them
You’ll need a few supplies to prepare yourself for your task of making your stick puppets. All of these are easy for you to find and a fun way to utilize items you might already have around the house.
Popsicle Sticks
Coins with the faces of presidents on them
Card
Scissors
Duct Tape
Paint
Kool-Aid (Optional)
A Step-By-Step Guide To President Stick Puppets
The good news about your president stick puppets is that making them is not difficult. You don’t need many items, but there are certain steps that you should take to get the best results.
Step 1
Take the card you have, and cut out some small hats and shirts for your presidents. The hats should be a ‘T’ shape, while the shirts should look like T-shirts. The T-shirts should look triangular for the sleeves and rectangular for the body of the shirt.
Step 2
Take your duct tape and secure the coins and card to the popsicle sticks. Make sure your coins are stuck so the faces of each president are facing the right way up.
Step 3
Once you assemble your stick puppets, it’s time to start painting them. One of the most fun ways to paint them is by using scented watercolors. We have an easy recipe to help you make these types of paint.
All you need is a pack of Kool-Aid in your desired color. Put them in ¼ cup of water, and stir until your Kool-Aid is dissolved.
Step 4
Now, it’s time to start painting. You can paint your puppets however you like, but for the theme, we recommend choosing red, white, and blue.
How Can You Incorporate History Into Your Stick Puppets?
While making your presidential stick puppets, you can always incorporate some small history lessons for your child.
Using each coin that you have, you can explain who each president is and explain why they were so important. You don’t have to go into too much detail, but it’s a fun way to talk to your child about history entertainingly.
If you want to go a step further, if your child enjoys drama, they could make a show about the presidents. It can also increase your child’s confidence. However, we recommend choosing this idea if your child is comfortable with it.
How To Make More Of Your President Stick Puppets
Although this is a fun way to introduce your kids to the history of the presidents on your coins, there are other ways to make your stick puppet. Depending on the age of your child, you can add more materials.
As they grow older, they might not need the coins and can make the face of each president. In fact, they may even be able to create their popsicle presidents from scratch.
You can also have more complex outfits for them, so you can make more in-depth puppets for older kids. These older kids will be able to use different fabrics to make the clothes, as they’ll be able to use scissors themselves to craft the outfits themselves.
Stepping Up From Stick Puppets
Once your kids have grown out of popsicle stick puppets, it doesn’t mean they have to stop making them. Some kids may enjoy making wooden spoon puppetsof different presidents.
These will allow them to go into more depth when designing their faces, and you’ll notice that they can move from focusing on the presidents’ outfits to their expressions.
If you want to introduce your kids to more intense designs, you could always utilize other items in your house.
As your kids get older, you may want to encourage them to make their own original designs, which will allow them to get more creative. Allow your kids to become more creative as they get older.
Let your kids experiment with different fabrics and materials, and they may enjoy learning different types of textiles.
Feel free to experiment with your children, and you can help them identify what they need to make an accurate homage to the former presidents of the United States that we celebrate on the 4th of July.
Conclusion
Making your 4th of July president stick puppets can be a fun way to teach your children history and encourage their love of arts and crafts.
Your children will love the different ways they can think about how to make their own puppets, and you can always change the way you make them as your kids get older.
There are many different ways you can teach your kids about the 4th of July, and there are a large variety of other arts and crafts projects they can do. The most important thing you can do is teach your kids about history in a way that will keep them engaged.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Explain The 4th Of July To Children?
The best way to explain the 4th of July to children is by explaining it’s the nation’s birthday. As your children get older, they’ll start to understand what Independence Day means.
How Can You Teach Children About The 4th Of July?
One of the best ways to teach children about Independence Day is by using visual cues. Use the American flag or arts and crafts to explain what the flag stands for and how it is viewed as a symbol to stand for.
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