Toddler Puppet Craft
Role play fun with your toddler

You will need:

Old socks (minimum of 2)
Craft glue
Glue on haberdashery eyes
Wool
Scraps of material
Needle and thread

Glue eyes onto your socks - toe end. Make hair with wool. Use longer strands for a girl puppet or shorter for a boy puppet by winding it around your hand or forearm to thumb. Once you have wound enough hair cut a short piece to tie around the middle. Then cut open the ends so the wool flows freely. If you make it longer than shorter you can braid the wool once sewn onto the puppet head. Attach it with craft glue or sew it to the sock.

Use your material scraps to make bows for a girl or a scarf for a boy puppet.

You can now give one to your toddler and keep one for yourself to use in non conflict training times. Choose an episode that you can replay with the puppets along with your toddler.

Perhaps a sample dialogue can go like this after a recent impatient tantrum.

You may have to play out the whole thing first yourself until your toddler joins in.

Puppet 1: Let's play cars together.

Puppet 2: Ok, but I want the red car.

Puppet 1: No you can't have it, because I have it first!

Puppet 2: But I want it (puppet 2 "slaps" puppet 1)

Puppet 1: [crying] You have hurt me

Puppet 2: I want the red car

Puppet 1:[crying - hide puppet behind your back]

Puppet 2:[pretends to play with the car]

You may want to ask your toddler at this point whether they thought that what they watched was kind, gentle, patient and good. Dialogue with them a bit then say, "Shall we see if they can do a bit better this time?"

Change the dialogue above to show the puppet handing over the car immediately or the other waiting patiently. This toddler puppet craft can be used in many situations and some can be just for fun! I suggested it to go along with an article on parenting an aggressive toddler