These easy Halloween shadow puppets are sure to please. They are a quick craft for kids of all ages, so let’s get started.
These types of crafts are those we get the most ‘bang for our buck,’ so to speak. We had some stiffened black felt left over from our Olaf dress-up costume and we used those remnants for a set of Halloween shadow puppets.
It was the witching hour and I needed something to get the kiddo to dinner without any fussing in between. A quick, no mess craft like these Halloween shadow puppets was the answer. Elise would shout out something that was Halloween-like to her and I would draw it and get her approval before I cut it out of the felt.
RELATED READING: See All the Halloween Crafts and Food on Ruffles and Rain Boots!
I found out two things:
1. A witch’s hat doesn’t look like a hat at all when cut from felt.
2. My daughter is quite picky about what a ghost should look like.
We did this activity as a family just before bed time, but shadow puppets are a great activity for the winter months because it gets dark so early. I tried to capture the fun, but my point and shoot camera is inadequate. And no, it is not my lack of photography skills… :)
Halloween Shadow Puppets Supplies
There are only a couple of things you need to whip up your own set of Halloween shadow puppets:
- black stiffened felt
- duct tape cut into small pieces
- hole punch and scissors
- bamboo skewers / chopsticks / straws / sticks from the yard
I put together a quick printable of some of the puppets we created even though you most likely won’t need it. As you can guess, the instructions are ridiculously simple. Trace the shapes onto stiffened black felt using chalk and cut them out. I used a hole punch for the eyes. Using your choice of stick, tape the felt to the stick and enjoy!
How to Make Easy Halloween Shadow Puppets for the Kids
I had a small, empty meringue powder canister and used that as a holder for these puppets. I lined the top edge in the same red duct tape I used to adhere the felt to the chopsticks. I rifled around in my scraps and found three strips of burlap that fit around the tin, so those won and were Mod-Podged (can I use that as a verb?) to the canister. A few turns of white raffia ribbon and a pair of googly eyes made my mummy Halloween shadow puppets holder complete.
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Joanne T Ferguson says
G’day! How cute and thanks for sharing at our #SayGdayParty
Please make sure to revisit if you haven’t already to Say G’day to the hosts and another person at the party!
Cheers! Joanne @ What’s On The List Pinned
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
Very cute! I have 2 2-years olds who will love these, my 6 year old will too :) Pinning!
Sarah Nenni-Daher says
So glad you could find them useful, Joy and thank you for pinning!
Jen says
This is brilliant and easy and so dang cute!
It seems like there is that hour in between diner and bedtime where you just plain need something to do. I have oodles of black felt in my craft cabinet and we are so making these tonight.
Thanks for sharing!
Sarah Nenni-Daher says
That witching hour can be brutal, Jen. I’m sure the kids will love it (and we love it because it gets the lights turned off and the mood calmed down a bit before bed).
Kathi Nenni says
These could make great alternatives to sweets for trick or treaters. The look awesomely scary (no, not really)!
Sarah Nenni-Daher says
Haha – Elise had a tea party with her ‘shadow friends’ yesterday. Each of them got cups, saucers, spoons and even pretend ‘pasties.’ I am laughing so hard I’m crying, even when I think about it a day later! :)
We actually are still using these as shadow puppets which is nice, too.
Heather {Woods of Bell Trees} says
These are so cute! My boy LOVES shadow puppets! He’ll be super excited to see these!
Sarah Nenni-Daher says
Right, Heather?! I didn’t know how well these were going to go over with her, but she is loving them. We’ve used them quite a few times before bed and it really helps to calm down at the end of a long day. I will be making some winter friends for her, I’m sure.