DIY -Simple Cardboard Box Puppet Theatre

A cardboard box is a beautiful blank slate for my daycare children.  The possibilities are endless.  The shape and size of this box inspired us to turn it into a puppet theatre.  I cut out a rectangle in the top section.

We cut off the back section but left the bottom to create a nifty tray to hold the puppets (plus it helped keep the box stable).

The kids ran and grabbed some finger puppets to test it out.  We decided the finger puppets were too small and we needed to cover the outside of the box with some nice scenery.

Taping on some sheets of construction paper was easy and there was a job for every age level.

They put blue paper on the top for sky and white on the bottom so that they could draw their own scenery items.

When the bigger kids crouched behind the theatre we could still see their heads. The group determined this was unacceptable.  Luckily we have a bench that added the right amount of height.  I used a green blanket to hide the puppeteer’s legs and we were in business.

The audience voted that the bench with the green blanket was a wonderful solution.

A few balloons added to the edges made the theatre look very festive.

Now the children were ready to draw their scenery.

I found some puppets and the kids decided on who would perform the first play and who would be the audience.

Some dolls and stuffed animals were needed to enhance the audience but I would say by the enthusiastic applause that the puppet play was a huge success.

The kids took turns making up their own plays and enjoyed the theatre for a week before we recycled it on garbage day.

What do your daycare children like to make out of a cardboard box?