Paper Bag Crow Puppet Craft

Preschoolers are going to love making and playing with this cute paper bag crow puppet this fall season!

I have a huge love for birds and bird crafts! My daughter recently had so much fun playing with our paper bag peacock puppets so I’ve had an itch for us to create another bird puppet for her to play with. Since Fall time is upon us, we decided it was perfect timing for creating crow puppets.

Adult with their hand inside the paper bag crow puppet showing how to make the beak open and close.

[This craft was originally published on September 14, 2014. It has been updated to include a craft template, updated tutorial text, photos and a video tutorial.]

How to Make a Paper Bag Crow Puppet

Our handy template makes creating these crow puppets super easy for preschoolers, along with the fact that you only need a few simple craft supplies to make them.

Read our easy step-by-step tutorial below for how to make your own fun paper bag crow puppet. Make sure to watch our how-to video inside this post before you get started too.

Supplies needed to make this paper bag puppet:

This post contains affiliate links to the products mentioned. Read our disclosure policy for more information.

Instructions for kids to make this easy crow craft

1. Begin by downloading and printing out the puppet template. Print out the beak page on yellow cardstock or construction paper and the body and face pieces and eyes on white cardstock paper. Cut out the pieces of the template.

2. Using a pencil, trace the crow body, face and head feather pieces from the template on black cardstock or construction paper and then cut them out.

Related: Paper Bag Peacock Puppets

Four image collage showing printed out crow puppet template, an adult tracing a child's handprints on a black piece of construction paper and an adult holding the cut out handprints.

3. Trace your child’s open hand prints on a piece of black construction paper for crow wings. Then trace one of their hands in a closed position on the construction paper for the tail feathers. Cut out all three of the handprints.

4. Add glue all over the back of the black crow body piece and glue it onto the front of the paper bag puppet. Make sure to lift the flap at the top and glue the piece all the way at the top. Cut off the excess of the paper bag at the bottom of the puppet.

Four image collage showing adult gluing the crow body piece on the paper bag, cutting off the excess at the bottom of the paper bag, and gluing the crow face and beak onto the crow puppet.

5. Glue the rectangle crow face piece onto the top of the paper bag puppet.

6. Lift the flap at the top of the puppet and glue one of the triangle crow beak pieces onto the bag, under the flap. Then add glue on the top half of the underside of the second beak piece. Line it up with the other beak piece and glue it onto the top side of the crow face, above the flap of the paper bag.

Four image collage showing adult gluing the eyes and feathers onto the paper bag puppet.

7. Glue the eyes on your puppet above the beak. Cut slits along one edge of the crow head feathers piece with scissors and then glue it at the top and back of the paper bag puppet.

8. Add glue on the edge of each open handprint and slide them in the sides of the paper bag to attach to the paper bag for the crow wings. Then add glue on the edge of the closed handprint and glue it on the bottom and back of the puppet for the tail feathers.

Paper bag crow puppet finished and laying flat on a pink background.

Your paper bag crow puppet is ready for play

Once the glue on your puppet has completely dried, you can play with your crow. Place your hand inside the paper bag with the fingers curling down inside the flap at the top of the bag. Move your fingers up and down on the inside of the flap of the bag to watch as the crow beak opens and closes.

There are so many great benefits to preschoolers playing with puppets. Puppets are a fantastic way for preschoolers to help develop their speaking skills by acting and playing with their puppets. Using their hands and fingers to make the beak move on their puppet is also great for fine motor play.

Close up image of adult with their hand in the paper bag puppet showing how to make the crow beak open and close. The words "Crow Puppets" are in the bottom right corner.

Looking for some children’s books to go along with this crow craft?

We love combining story time with craft time. Here are some recommendations for children’s books you can check out at your local library to go along with making your paper bag puppets:

Six Crows by Leo Leonni

The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley

Farmer Ham by Alec Sillifant

Crow by Leo Timmers

Old Cricket by Lisa Wheeler

Clever Crow by Cynthia De Felice

Clive the Clever Crow by Sandra Novello

Two image vertical collage showing adult with hand inside the paper bag puppet showing the beak opening and closing and the words "Crow Puppet" in the center separating the two images.

More Puppet Crafts for Kids

Here’s a fun way to transform a paper plate and a gray sock into a fun elephant puppet. Kids are going to have so much fun playing with their elephant!

Don’t put away those paper bags just yet. Here’s another fun idea for using them to make these cute paper bag frog puppets.

Gnomes have been all the rage this past year! Use our template to make these cute gnome finger puppets for kids to play with.

Check out our list of over 20 fun ways to turn paper bags into animal puppet crafts!

 

Adult hand and arm inside the paper bag peacock puppet showing how to move the beak open and closed.

Peacock Puppet Craft

Adult with their hand inside the paper bag parrot puppet showing how to move the beak open and closed.

Paper Bag Parrot Puppets