Today I want to share an easy animal popsicle puppets activity for toddlers and preschoolers that will provoke creativity, imagination and communication!
Communication is huge in our bilingual household. so I am always looking for fun, sensory and open-ended activities that will encourage speech development.
These DIY animal Popsicle puppets do just the trick, and all you have to do is play and reenact with your toddler!
They are the perfect indoor activity for the rainy day. Or, you can even take them to the wild outdoors!
I hope you enjoy this activity. If you do take a picture and tag me on Instagram using the handle @lorenaylennox, so I can see all the fun!
Benefits of puppet play
Puppet play is a lot of fun for kids, but it is also much more!
According to Tanja Mcilroy, there are NINE benefits of puppet play. Here goes.
Puppet play encourages
- Language development
- Social development
- Emotional development
- Listening skills
- Motor skills
- Self-confidence
- Creativity
- Story-telling and sequencing
- Travel companions
These are some great benefits that your children deserve, so let’s get puppeteering!
What do you need to make these animal Popsicle puppets
I used an old animal planner that I used to make these animal popsicle puppets.
However, there are many materials around the house to make these puppets.
- Maybe you have an old magazine laying around.
- Draw your own animals and cut them out.
- You could find animal printables online. You would be surprised what you can find online for free, or for a small charge. My free printables are always growing, as well as my printable shop.
- You could also simply purchase animal cards on Amazon, or even better, actual animal puppets!
Lastly, if you are going with a paper option, you are going to need popsicle sticks to hold up your paper puppet!
Related: Zoo Animal Printable Worksheets in Spanish for Preschoolers
Ways to use these animal popsicle puppets
With these popsicle puppets, your toddler can have fun playtime, or you can turn it into an educational activity.
Related: Lego Color Sorting Toss for Your Toddler or Preschooler
As a bilingual parent, raising a bilingual child, this was the perfect activity for Lennox. First, we worked with each animal. We talked about the animal’s features, colors, and sounds.
Then, we laid them all out on the floor and would ask him “¿dónde está el elefante? —where is the elephant, or, ¿dónde está la cebra?– where is the Zebra?.”
You could also ask your preschooler to choose the animal that makes a certain sound.
Or, you could get on the floor and play with your toddler. Create conversation and provoke your toddler’s imagination and speech development with the popsicle puppets.
I hope this puppet activity brings you back to your childhood. Let loose and forget about this world pandemic we are experiencing.
Let play guide your soul!
We hope you enjoy. If you find more creative ways to use your animal popsicle puppets, please let us know in the comments below!
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