Preschoolers are going to love making and playing with this cute paper bag crow puppet this fall season!
I have a huge love for birds and bird crafts! My daughter recently had so much fun playing with our paper bag peacock puppets so I’ve had an itch for us to create another bird puppet for her to play with. Since Fall time is upon us, we decided it was perfect timing for creating crow puppets.
[This craft was originally published on September 14, 2014. It has been updated to include a craft template, updated tutorial text, photos and a video tutorial.]
How to Make a Paper Bag Crow Puppet
Our handy template makes creating these crow puppets super easy for preschoolers, along with the fact that you only need a few simple craft supplies to make them.
Read our easy step-by-step tutorial below for how to make your own fun paper bag crow puppet. Make sure to watch our how-to video inside this post before you get started too.
Supplies needed to make this paper bag puppet:
This post contains affiliate links to the products mentioned. Read our disclosure policy for more information.
- printable crow puppet template <—– Get the craft template here
- paper lunch bags
- black cardstock and construction paper
- yellow cardstock or construction paper
- white cardstock
- pencil for tracing
- scissors
- extra strength glue stick
Instructions for kids to make this easy crow craft
1. Begin by downloading and printing out the puppet template. Print out the beak page on yellow cardstock or construction paper and the body and face pieces and eyes on white cardstock paper. Cut out the pieces of the template.
2. Using a pencil, trace the crow body, face and head feather pieces from the template on black cardstock or construction paper and then cut them out.
Related: Paper Bag Peacock Puppets
3. Trace your child’s open hand prints on a piece of black construction paper for crow wings. Then trace one of their hands in a closed position on the construction paper for the tail feathers. Cut out all three of the handprints.
4. Add glue all over the back of the black crow body piece and glue it onto the front of the paper bag puppet. Make sure to lift the flap at the top and glue the piece all the way at the top. Cut off the excess of the paper bag at the bottom of the puppet.
5. Glue the rectangle crow face piece onto the top of the paper bag puppet.
6. Lift the flap at the top of the puppet and glue one of the triangle crow beak pieces onto the bag, under the flap. Then add glue on the top half of the underside of the second beak piece. Line it up with the other beak piece and glue it onto the top side of the crow face, above the flap of the paper bag.
7. Glue the eyes on your puppet above the beak. Cut slits along one edge of the crow head feathers piece with scissors and then glue it at the top and back of the paper bag puppet.
8. Add glue on the edge of each open handprint and slide them in the sides of the paper bag to attach to the paper bag for the crow wings. Then add glue on the edge of the closed handprint and glue it on the bottom and back of the puppet for the tail feathers.
Your paper bag crow puppet is ready for play
Once the glue on your puppet has completely dried, you can play with your crow. Place your hand inside the paper bag with the fingers curling down inside the flap at the top of the bag. Move your fingers up and down on the inside of the flap of the bag to watch as the crow beak opens and closes.
There are so many great benefits to preschoolers playing with puppets. Puppets are a fantastic way for preschoolers to help develop their speaking skills by acting and playing with their puppets. Using their hands and fingers to make the beak move on their puppet is also great for fine motor play.
Looking for some children’s books to go along with this crow craft?
We love combining story time with craft time. Here are some recommendations for children’s books you can check out at your local library to go along with making your paper bag puppets:
Six Crows by Leo Leonni
The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley
Farmer Ham by Alec Sillifant
Crow by Leo Timmers
Old Cricket by Lisa Wheeler
Clever Crow by Cynthia De Felice
Clive the Clever Crow by Sandra Novello
More Puppet Crafts for Kids
Here’s a fun way to transform a paper plate and a gray sock into a fun elephant puppet. Kids are going to have so much fun playing with their elephant!
Don’t put away those paper bags just yet. Here’s another fun idea for using them to make these cute paper bag frog puppets.
Gnomes have been all the rage this past year! Use our template to make these cute gnome finger puppets for kids to play with.
Check out our list of over 20 fun ways to turn paper bags into animal puppet crafts!