Paper Puppet – Face of Man

Objective

To help teachers in creating a puppet of a man’s face for story-telling and other purposes.

Estimated time to create the LTM

30 to 45 Minutes

Materials required for activity

  • White Chart paper- for the Face, Nose, Ears and paper pipe
  • Creepers for hair
  • Stapler with pin
  • Pencil
  • Fevicol  
  • Scissors
  • Marker Pens – Black and Red

Preparation of activity

Keep the materials ready.  If you are using hot glue instead of Fevicol, ensure that the hot glue is heated suitably and is ready for use.

Procedure

  • First, draw and cut the shapes of the nose, ear and keep them ready.
  • Now start making the face. Take a strip of White chart paper. Roll it such that the shorter edges of the strip overlap, to form a hollow cylinder. Holding the overlap as above, staple or attach the shorter ends using fevicol. Now the hollow face is ready. 
  • To get the round shape of the face, make three thin cuts on one edge of the cylinder. Overlap the cuts and fix them one above another using fevicol. Repeat on the other edge. Now the near round face is ready.
  • Using fevicol attach the ears on either side and also fix the nose in the centre of the face.
  • Using black markers draw the eyes and eyebrows.
  • Using Red marker, draw the lips.
  • For the hair, cut the creepers to the required lengths and attach them using fevicol.
  • For the moustache, cut two pieces of creepers of equal size and fix them below the nose.
  • For the beard, cut the required length of the creepers and fix them on the chin and cheeks, using fevicol.
  • For the finger pipe – Roll a small strip of the paper as a tube, such that it fits your forefinger/Index finger and glue it to get a pipe. Fix the pipe inside the hollow body, using fevicol.
  •  Allow a few minutes to dry and the puppet is ready.  
  • Insert your forefinger/ index finger into the paper pipe.
  • Move your finger up, down and sideways to demonstrate the movement of the head of a Man.
  • In the similar way this puppet can be made for a woman also.

Step by Step Pictures to create the puppets

Important Tips

  1. We can attach black coloured paper for hair, instead of using ‘creeper’ (artificial hair which we wear in drama make-up)
  2. Wedding cards / book covers can be used instead of drawing sheets. 
  3. To enable the gluing process faster, glue drops/ glue gun or stapler can be used instead of using fevicol.
  4. For reference we can take images from drawing books or the internet. 
  5. While creating the puppet, replicate the character illustration given in the children’s textbook. Once the puppet is ready, use the character’s name from the textbook. Using the name in the textbook helps children to remember the content.
  6. The teacher should use the puppet at an appropriate time. The teacher can narrate the story in a humorous manner.   The teacher may make intentional mistakes to encourage children to correct them, thereby helping them become more actively engaged.

Precautions

Precautions to be taken while manipulating finger puppets:

  1. Always keep the face of the puppet towards the audience.
  2. Focus of the Puppet Master should be on the puppet.
  3. Puppets that are talking are only activated.  Other puppets should remain in a still position.

Troubleshooting:

  1. While making a paper pipe, take the exact size of your finger/hand which you are using. It aids in the proper movement of the puppet.
  2. Use a cutter to make holes.
  3. Holes that you are making should be exactly the size of your fingers. If the hole is big, the puppet cannot fit on your fingers. If the hole is small, you cannot insert your fingers.

Instructions to the Teacher Notes to the Teacher

Puppets can be used in the classroom to teach children about emotions. They are a valuable tool for teaching rhymes, songs, stories and more. Using puppets also aids in developing motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination. Additionally, puppets can enhance communication and social skills, improve focus and concentration and help teach concepts and values.

Using the LTM

The teacher can demonstrate a ‘Puppet Show’.  Teachers can encourage the students to create these puppets and have a ‘Puppet Show’ in the classroom.

Video: How to use LTM

Source and Attribution of images
All images used in the above Assets and Aids are originally created.
This digital material has been developed by the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini Inclusive Education Project, a unit of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, as a collaborative offering in the service of our nation.