How to make a muppet-type puppet: Human Foam Puppet Pattern

I want to know is this for Pattern forkids to use ? that's what i want to find? please help me. Im looking fir a a human head muppet/puppet head for kids?

@Suly,

The "Human Foam Puppet pattern" is not aimed at kids; it's for intermediate/professional puppeteers. It's also not a puppet you could wear on your head, it's a muppet-type puppet like what you see in Sesame Street.

I recommend checking out this article, which lists different types of puppets from easiest to make to hardest.

You can make a human puppet in other ways, as explained here.

Human-ness is just a matter of aesthetics, which means you can make puppets in any way you like, and then add facial features which give the puppet the appearance of being human.

Alternatively, you can purchase the pattern, build the puppets yourself, and then let the kids decorate them. (I assume that’s what you meant: kids building puppets themselves, not puppets to be built by you and used with kids)

Hope that helps!

I want to know the benefit of using hand animal puppets for the 0-5 years old, as most of the child care centres set up this acivities, but the adults and the children don't use this items much. I wouldn't say that they ignore this activity but often they play with these items only for a very short period of time. How can I make this activity more fun and enjoyable if I have to teach the children? What other benefit other than increasing their imagination and their language skils? Thanks Wida Chandler

@ Wida,

I'd guess that it has to do with skill level, and also in part with the perception of puppetry itself. I'll begin with the first:

Finger and glove (often referred to as 'hand') puppets are most often used with young children. They are extremely easy to use - you just need your own hands - and making them is also very simple. The construction method most used is one of cut up pieces of felt, which are glued together and then decorated. Children or adults with disabilities would find these puppets more enjoyable to make just because they don't require a lot of dexterity or patience; and the same for performing with them. (I will also add that toy manufacturers are the ones who usually sell these on a mass market scale, so they're simply easier to find in general than other types of puppets)

On the other hand, many adults will find that finger and glove puppets are too easy to make and use, and so they might enjoy other more complicated puppets (marionettes, muppet-type puppets, etc). There's also misconception at play: you'd be surprised at how many teenagers or adults who see finger and glove puppets as "for kids". This is in part because puppeteers do use them a lot when working with children, but also a lot to do with a misunderstanding of puppetry itself. A lot of people only see puppetry as children's theatre or as Sesame St, and so end up believing that it offers nothing for a more mature mindset. Obviously, most of us adult puppeteers disagree with that idea ;)
I would also consider likeability of the puppets you have. Some people will always have a lack of interest in puppets, but it could be that the puppets simply don't capture anyone's interest from a pure aesthetic perspective. Kids tend to be more fascinated with them, especially if they're the generic toy puppets; adults and older kids might not.

In terms of making these more interesting for the adults and older kids, it depends on what you want to do and their skill level. I'd recommend thinking about using different materials and building methods. Instead of making puppets using fabric or felt, use clay and papier mache so people can sculpt their own heads (fabric bodies can be attached). You can also use foam... or you can keep the fabric/felt idea but make the puppets more complicated anyway in terms of design. You can add more limbs or mechanisms that are more difficult to perform with. All of this is dependent entirely on how comfortable the majority of your students will be with a certain building method, material or skill for performance. The best idea is to survey the group you want to teach and find out what they'd be interested in making or using; then tailor a lesson towards that. It could be that as part of your lesson you find a way to dispel some of the ideas that the older, less interested students have about puppetry.

I've given you some more references below, the last one on how to teach puppetry has more of an explanation of the reasons for using puppets in the classroom (in the preview, which you can download for free).

A list of puppet types, from easiest to hardest
Why should I use puppets?
Puppetry, is it just for kids
How to teach puppetry

I hope that helps!