As a child, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was a Christmas tradition that I’ve now carried into my own family. Whether singing the song or watching one of the many video adaptations, the holiday season isn’t complete without that shiny red nose! These Rudolph Story Puppets are a great addition to any holiday collection.
Rudolph Story Puppets
My kids love acting out familiar stories, and puppets are a fun new way to engage in pretend play. We love story puppets because they are small enough that they won’t take up a lot of space but easy enough for even young children to manipulate. And you will surely enjoy an excellent show that the kids perform! With this Rudolph story puppet template, you’ll have everything you need to make these fun puppets.,. Since the pieces are rather small, cutting them out is a big kid or adult job.
If you want puppets that are easier for little hands to make, try the Paper Bag Reindeer Puppet and the Elf Paper Bag Puppet!
Supplies
- Colored construction paper
- Pencil – to trace the template
- Craft glue
- Sharpie or gel pen
- Popsicle or craft sticks
Printable Template
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Directions to Make Rudolph Story Puppets
Rudolph is filled with so many wonderful characters that truly make this an all-time favorite movie in our home. Within this template, you will be able to make Sam the snowman, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Clarice, Rudolph, Yeti, Hermey the Elf, and Yukon.
Sam the Snowman
- Select construction paper colors for the Rudolph story puppets. The template includes patterns for the following figures/characters – Rudolph, Clarice, Sam the snowman, Yukon Cornelius, Mr. Claus, Mrs. Claus, The Abominable Snowman, and Hermey the Elf.
- Trace the template patterns on the selected papers and cut out the traced pattern. Let’s start with Sam the Snowman.
- Attach the cardigan (clothing) on the top part of Sam the snowman’s body (right below the head). Attach the hat strip to the hat base cutout.
- Glue the hat to the top side of the head and attach the mustache and beard to the face
- Use a sharpie to draw the face of the snowman and trace some outlines on the umbrella cutout. Glue the umbrella to the front of the snowman.
Mrs. Claus
- Now let’s work on Mrs. Claus. Glue the hair onto her head and the apron onto her dress.
- Attach the head to the top of the dress pattern and use a sharpie to draw her facial features.
Santa Claus
- Let’s craft Mr. Claus now. Glue the beard to his face, then attach the small round cutout to the tip of his hat. Use a sharpie to draw a belt along the middle of his clothing.
- Glue the hat to the top of the head.
- Attach the eyebrows and mustache cutouts and then glue the head onto the body.
- Use a sharpie to draw on Santa’s face.
Rudolph
- Find the Rudolph cutouts and glue the white mouth cutout to the bottom of the head.
- Attach the horn cutouts to the top of the head between the ears. Glue his red nose onto his face so it is half on the white part and half on the brown.
- Glue the head to the top of the body cutout.
- Use a sharpie to draw Rudolph’s eyes and a smile.
- Glue the figures to popsicle sticks to complete the puppet craft. Similarly, trace, cut out, and glue the rest of the figure patterns.
- Continue making each character until you have your whole puppets completed
Tips and Tricks
- If crafting all the puppets is too much in one setting, choose just a few and craft the others another day.
- Many of the pieces are very small, so it might help to only cut out each piece right before you intend to use it so it doesn’t get misplaced.
- If you prefer to do all your cutting at once, place all the pieces for each character in their own pile or plastic bag so you don’t get confused about which piece is which.
- Make sure to keep your glue only on the pieces you are attaching, or it will be difficult to draw faces on top of extra glue.
More Ideas…
See what other adventures your kids can take these puppets on! They might make up an entirely new story for these beloved characters. Maybe there is something about the original story they want to change. Now they can!
These puppets are also ideal for a shadow puppet show! Turn off the lights, shine a big flashlight at the wall, and hold up your puppets in front of the light.
Add the Grinch to your puppet play with our Grinch Paper Bag Puppet! The holidays can be so much fun, and we hope you enjoy these crafts!
Rudolph Story Puppets
These Rudolph Story Puppets are perfect for your kids this Christmas Break! Help them make these fun puppets, and then turn them loose to play make believe and make up stories with these fun characters!
Materials
- Colored construction papers
- Pencil – to trace the template
- Craft glue
- Sharpie or gel pen
- Popsicle sticks
Instructions
Select colored construction papers for the Rudolph the red nosed reindeer story puppets. The template includes patterns for Rudolph, Clarice, Sam the snowman, Yukon Cornelius, Mr. Claus, Mrs. Claus, The Abominable Snowman, and Hermey the Elf. Trace the template patterns on the selected construction papers and cut out the traced pattern. Let’s start with Rudolph, Sam the snowman, Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Glue the cardigan (clothing) on the top part of the Sam the snowman’s body part (right below the head). Glue the hat-strip on the hat base cutout.
Glue the hat on the top side of the head and glue the mustache and beard on the head as well.
Use a sharpie to draw the face of the snowman and trace some outlines on the umbrella cutout. Glue the umbrella with the snowman on a side. Set aside.
Glue the hair cutout to the head cutout and the apron cutout to the dress cutout of Mrs. Claus puppet.
Glue the head on the top side of the dress pattern and use a sharpie to draw the face of the puppet. Set aside.
Glue the beard cutout on the head, glue the round cutout on the tip of the hat and use a sharpie to draw a belt along the middle of the clothing cutout.
Glue the hat pattern on the top side of the head.
Glue the eyebrows and mustache cutouts to the head and then attach the head pattern to the top side of the dress pattern.
Use a sharpie to draw the face of Mr. Claus puppet.
Take the Rudolph patterns. Glue the mouth cutout to the bottom part of the head cutout.
Glue the horn cutouts to the top side of the head pattern and stick the nose cutout overlapping the mouth part on the middle, along the top side.
Glue the head pattern on the top side of the body base cutout.
Use a sharpie to draw the face of the Rudolph puppet.
Glue the figures to popsicle sticks to complete the puppet craft. Similarly, trace, cut out and glue the rest of the figure patterns.
How Do I Print A PDF?
You’ll need a program that supports PDFs. Adobe Acrobat is a great option. Open the program, click file then print. Select your printer and the number of copies you want to print. Be sure you click double-sided if you want it to print on both sides.
Can I Resell These?
You may not resell any printable or template that you find on our website or received in your email. You may use them for class parties, at church, at home, or in the classroom. You may get these printed at an office supply store or copy center at your own expense.
**INSERT REUSABLE BLOCK CALLED TEMPLATE OPT IN