CraftyFileCo planning guide

Printable Puppets for Family Storytelling

Use printable family puppets to tell a story about familiar people, or choose birds or fairies for an imagined cast. Make two or three characters, give each a role and take turns adding events.

Begin with familiar family characters

The finger-family set has ten characters, including parents, grandparents, children and two babies. A full-colour page and a black-and-white page are included.

Each puppet has an adjustable paper finger band with small- and large-finger fitting guides. The directions say to colour if needed, cut the outer lines, wrap the band and glue the marked tab. Adult assistance is recommended for cutting and gluing.

Let the child choose which characters belong in this particular story. You do not have to use every named figure, and a made-up family can have its own roles and relationships.

Use birds for a different cast

The bird finger-puppet set includes eight full-colour birds, such as a macaw, flamingo, owl, penguin and kingfisher. Three printable pages in each A4 or US Letter PDF include a how-to page.

The bodies roll into tubes, with S and L joining lines for finger sizes. Two arch cutouts let the bird perch on a finger, while separate beak, wing, foot and tail pieces are attached.

The listing recommends ages 6+ with grown-up scissor help. This assembly differs from simply joining the ends of a flat finger band, so read the picture guide before starting.

Choose fairy dolls for a fantasy scene

The separate fairy doll download has ten black-and-white templates in A4 and US Letter. Its directions are to colour, cut, glue and assemble, with adult supervision recommended while cutting.

Do not assume these use the finger bands supplied with the family puppets. Follow their own assembly directions, then give the finished characters places in a story.

Colouring can help a child decide a character's name or favourite place. That is a suggested storytelling prompt, rather than an extra written activity promised in the files.

Build a story in three turns

Try this simple family routine:

1. One person introduces a character and a place.
2. Another person adds a problem or a surprise.
3. Take turns deciding what the characters do.
4. Let the child choose how the story ends.

Keep the making stage separate from the performance so joined parts can dry before handling. A cast of two or three finished characters is enough to start. Extra puppets can enter a later story instead of crowding the first one.

By CraftyFileCo · Published 2026-11-07 · Updated 2026-11-07