Farm Animal Stick Puppets
These farm animal stick puppets were the perfect “craft and take” activity for A’s second birthday party! When you’re done with these, check out the cow paper bag puppet that they were sent home in. This post contains affiliate links.
To celebrate A’s second birthday party, we played on her love for the song Old McDonald (thank you, Cocomelon) and made a farm animal themed birthday party. I love really easy to do activities that double as take home “gifts” and so I knew I needed to illustrate a set of farm animal stick puppets for the occasion!
These puppets were designed for toddlers and preschoolers to craft and play with. When it comes to toddler crafts, there are two elements that are requirements for me: a coloring/painting element (so that they can contribute a meaningful element to the creation) and a familiarity element – something they’ll recognize and get excited about. This craft has both.
The cutting is a bit much for toddlers, however preschoolers can cut it themselves, even if not perfectly.
I also illustrated supportive props to turn it into a complete Old McDonald puppet set that can be played with as part of a sing-along. That includes a barn and an Old McDonald puppet. Besides for that, you have standard farm animals including:
- Duck
- Chicken
- Goat
- Sheep
- Horse
- Pig
- Cow
- Chick
If you want more animals, or you want full-color finger puppets, check out my Etsy shop for more options!
How to use these farm animal stick puppets as a party activity
Your download includes two versions: a PDF to print out, cut by hand, and craft. It also comes with a zip folder with PNG files that you can use with your Cricut to “print then cut”. I recommend doing this if you’re using it as a party activity. It’s simply much easier, especially for toddlers.
I pre-cut my farm animals (I only used the animals at the party) using my Cricut. I placed double sided tape (about an inch) at the top of some craft sticks to keep things easy and neat, leaving the backing on. I then put out the animal faces, prepared craft sticks, and crayons on plates/in cups.
I prepared a sample and taped it to the front of the party cup that had the craft sticks so that parents can see what to do. I also jotted on the plate with the puppet faces “color and craft a puppet”.
These paper crafts can be put out generously, making them a fabulous choice for parent-led entertainment at a party that doesn’t have an actual timetable.
I simply put out different entertainment stations (which I’ll do a separate post on) for parents to bring their kids to, and so everything had to be as simple as this.
Farm animal stick puppets are also an activity that can appeal to a broader age range, so when you are throwing a two year old’s party but are having older kids there as well, it’s the perfect way to do it.
Download the Farm Animal Stick Puppets
These farm animal stick puppets are a premium download in my shop, available for just a few bucks. You can then print as many as you need for your classroom, public library, birthday party, or other personal non-profit use.
How to assemble your farm animal stick puppets
What you need
- The puppets, printed on cardstock
- Scissors (or “print then cut” with your Cricut)
- Craft sticks
- Crayons
- Glue or double sided tape – recommended if doing it at a party!
Assembly Instructions
1. Print and cut the farm animals. You can cut on the center line and top of the barn if you want the doors to open.
2. Color it in.
3. Place some double sided tape on craft sticks.
4. Peel off the backing on the tape and stick the colored puppets onto the popsicle sticks!
