Making finger puppets is quicker than you might think: a paper-roll puppet takes ten minutes, a felt puppet about half an hour. Below are three tutorials for different ages, a materials list and a few safety notes we have picked up from five years of sewing finger puppets in our Berlin studio.
Materials for all three tutorials
- Paper roll: an empty toilet-paper roll, crayons or coloured pencils, scissors, a glue stick, scraps of coloured card
- Felt: craft felt or wool felt, 1–2 mm thick, in two colours; embroidery floss or sewing thread; a blunt-tipped embroidery needle; pins; paper for the template; fabric scissors
- Glove: an old knitted or cotton glove, fabric scissors, fabric glue or needle and thread, fabric markers
We deliberately skip googly eyes, buttons and beads in all three versions. They are the most common source of swallowed small parts, and embroidered eyes survive the twentieth hand wash without complaint.
Tutorial 1: Paper-roll finger puppet (age 3+)
The simplest version. Children from three can do almost everything themselves; they only need a hand with the cutting.
- Cut the toilet-paper roll into three rings of equal width (about 3 cm each). One roll gives you three puppets.
- Squeeze each ring gently into an oval so it sits on an index finger. For small fingers, cut the ring open, roll it tighter and fix it with the glue stick.
- Let the child colour the ring: fur, stripes, spots, a face with big eyes.
- Cut ears, a beak or a mane from card scraps and glue them to the inside of the ring.
- Let it dry briefly, put it on, start playing.
Tip: Decide together beforehand which animals you are making. Three rings = a farm (cow, pig, hen) or a forest (fox, hedgehog, owl). That way you get a small story straight away instead of three separate puppets.
Tutorial 2: Two-layer felt finger puppet (age 5+ with help, 8+ alone)
Our own puppets are made from two layers of felt, and that is exactly how you do it at home. The result is sturdy, washable and lasts for years.
Draw the template
Draw a rectangle of 8 × 4 cm on paper and round off the top edge so the shape looks like a tall archway. This is the basic shape that fits both an adult's and a child's finger. For ears, a snout or a comb, draw small extra shapes (1–2 cm).
Cut out
- Pin the template to the felt folded double and cut it out twice (front and back).
- Cut ears and snout from the contrasting colour.
Embroider the face before sewing the layers together
- Stitch the eyes onto the front piece with three stitches of floss as small stars, or as French knots.
- Backstitch the mouth and nose. Attach a felt snout or cheeks with a few stitches.
Everything on the face is sewn, not glued. Fabric glue comes loose in the wash and does not stand up to toddler teeth.
Join the layers with blanket stitch
- Place front and back wrong sides together and tuck the ears between the layers at the top.
- Blanket-stitch around the curved edge: push the needle through both layers from the back, loop the thread under the needle tip, pull tight. Keep the stitches about 4 mm apart.
- Leave the straight bottom edge open; that is where the finger goes. Knot the thread on the inside.
Children from five can do the embroidery if you thread the needle and keep the thread to about 40 cm. From eight they can manage the whole puppet alone. One felt puppet takes 20–30 minutes.
Tutorial 3: Glove-finger puppet (age 3+)
The fastest fabric version, and the perfect use for a single orphaned glove.
- Cut the fingers off the glove about 6–7 cm from the tip. One glove gives you five puppets.
- Fold the cut edge inwards once and fix it with fabric glue, or hem it with a few stitches so it does not fray.
- Draw the face with fabric markers and heat-set it with an iron as the marker instructions say.
- For ears, sew a small strip of felt to the tip.
Or leave the glove whole and turn each finger into a character. That gives you a whole family on one hand, ideal for finger plays like "Tommy Thumb".
Which tutorial for which age?
- 3–4 years: paper roll or glove. The child colours and glues, you cut.
- 5–7 years: felt with help. Children embroider the face, you do the blanket stitch or sew together.
- 8 years and up: felt entirely by themselves, template included. Good for rainy afternoons and birthday parties.
Whatever the age: homemade puppets are toys for children from three. Under three, only under supervision, because torn paper or bits of felt can end up in a mouth.
No time to sew?
Then our studio takes over the needle part. With the Make-your-own animal finger puppets set you pick exactly the animals your child loves from more than 50, from hen to koala, from €4 per puppet, in a cotton pouch from ten pieces. Each puppet is two layers of felt, machine-embroidered and free of loose parts, which is exactly what the tutorial above describes, only finished.
Birthday party idea: Order one chosen puppet per guest as a party favour and make the paper-roll version together in the afternoon. Every child goes home with one animal to play with and one they made, and you skip the bags of plastic. If you would rather have a ready-made theme, browse all finger puppet sets, for example the farm animals or the forest animals, eight puppets each in a pouch.
For ideas on what to do with the finished puppets, see our 10 finger plays for toddlers and preschool.
Frequently asked questions
Which felt is best for finger puppets?
For beginners, polyester craft felt 1–1.5 mm thick: cheap, does not fray, easy to embroider. Wool felt is softer and looks more refined but costs more and is a little stiffer to sew. Both can be hand-washed.
How big should a finger puppet be?
8 cm tall and 4 cm wide fits both children's and adults' fingers. For children under four you can narrow the opening to 3.5 cm by sewing a slightly tighter seam.
How do I make finger puppets safe for small children?
No googly eyes, buttons or beads; embroider the faces instead. Sew firmly rather than glue. Check regularly that seams and ears are not coming loose. Finished puppets like ours are designed for children from 36 months.