Paper bag puppets are usually made from the standard brown paper lunch bags. I have also seen white ones but, I think the brown ones are more common and available  (at least where I live). The white ones that I am thinking of are ones that bakeries use around here for their pastries and are often smaller than than the brown ones.

The way to use them is as shown above. The child sticks his or her hand up to the top of the bag and the fingers go into the part that moves. If the face is made on that part then it actually looks as if the puppet is talking.

There are 2 kinds of puppets I have here to show you. People puppets and animal puppets. What makes them people or a animals is of course, the materials you give them to create the puppets.The method I use for these puppets is the cafeteria style crafts one as explained in my crafts book.

I prepare the materials that I think they will need. I may give them materials that they can use for hair, various items for eyes etc.The younger children may need to be told that the face goes on the top flap but, the older children get it right away.

Sometimes I may have pieces of material for them to use for the bodies of their puppets as well.

The children that made the puppets above and below found items that they chose to use for arms and legs even though that was not my intention at all.

For an animal theme I decided to have the children make puppets. The way to have the bags look like animals are by giving them various animal papers that you buy at any local or online craft store. Just having pieces of these animal papers are enough to have the puppets look like animals.

Even if the puppets don’t really look like animals , the animal paper basically tells you that they are animals.

If for example, you wanted the kids to make kings and queens you would add some pre cut crowns, maybe some sequins or anything else that looks royal. The trick is to add materials that depict what you are trying to make.