Dancing Christmas Puppets Craft for Kids, Free Gingerbread Man Template!

Get ready to make your Christmas crafts dance! These adorable dancing Christmas puppets are such a fun and interactive Christmas craft for kids. Simply pull the string and watch your little Christmas characters wave their arms, flap their wings, and dance!

Choose from a cheerful gingerbread man, a jolly Santa Claus, a cute penguin, or a smiling snowman. Each puppet has its own personality, and the best part is that kids can bring their creations to life with just a little pull of the string!

This easy Christmas paper craft is made with simple supplies you probably already have at home or in the classroom. It’s a wonderful activity for a cozy Christmas afternoon, a holiday crafting party, or a fun classroom project.

And to make crafting even easier, we’ve created a set of printable Christmas puppet templates, including a free gingerbread man template to get you started!

Ready to make your own dancing Christmas friends? Let’s get crafting!

Meet the Dancing Christmas Puppets!

We made four adorable Christmas characters, and we can’t decide which one is our favorite! There’s a happy little gingerbread man with a big smile, a Santa Claus ready to wave hello, a cute penguinthat loves to flap its wings, and a cheerful snowman dressed for winter. Each character is made using the same simple technique. A straw, a piece of string, and a little bead are all you need to turn an ordinary paper character into a moving Christmas puppet! You can use our printable templates or get creative and design your own characters from colored paper. How about a dancing reindeer, a polar bear wearing a Santa hat, or a silly Christmas elf? As long as your character has two long arms that can move freely, you can make it dance!

Printable Christmas Puppet Templates

Want to make your own dancing Christmas puppets? We’ve created four printable characters to make this Christmas craft even easier!

Simply print your favorite character, color it, cut it out, and follow the instructions below to make your puppet dance.

You can get started with our free gingerbread man template or choose the complete Dancing Christmas Puppets Bundle, featuring all four Christmas characters:

• Gingerbread Man
• Santa Claus
• Penguin
• Snowman

The templates are perfect for kids who love coloring and crafting. And because the characters are already drawn, you can jump straight into the fun part!

Of course, you can also grab some colored card-stock and create your very own Christmas character from scratch.

Why Kids Will Love This Christmas Puppet Craft

There’s something extra exciting about making a craft that actually moves!

Kids can spend time coloring and decorating their Christmas characters, but the real magic happens when they pull the string for the first time.

Suddenly, their little gingerbread man is waving his arms, Santa is dancing, and the penguin is flapping its wings!

And once they’ve figured out how it works, they’ll want to make another one!

We especially love this Christmas activity because it combines creativity, crafting, and playtime in one project.

Kids can experiment with colors, add funny faces, and decorate their puppets however they like. Cutting, coloring, and threading the string also give little hands a chance to practice their fine motor skills.

And when the crafting is finished, the puppets become little toys that children can play with!

Make a whole collection and put on a Christmas puppet show, or turn on some festive music and let your Christmas characters dance along.

 

How to Make Dancing Christmas Puppets

Let’s make our very own dancing gingerbread man! For this tutorial, we’ll be using our gingerbread man template, but you can follow exactly the same steps to make Santa, the penguin, or the snowman. You can also use colored paper to design your own character.

 

Christmas Puppets Craft Supplies

You only need a few basic craft supplies:

• Printable Christmas puppet template or colored card-stock
• Colored pencils or markers
• Scissors
• String (we used transparent string)
• A paper or plastic straw
• A wooden bead or button
• Glue
• Clear tape
• Optional: googly eyes, pom-poms, sequins, or other decorations

Crafting tip: If you’re using our printable templates, we recommend printing them on slightly thicker paper, around 120–160 gsm. This gives your puppets a little extra strength while keeping the arms flexible enough to move.

Step 1: Color or Draw Your Christmas Puppet

First, choose which Christmas character you want to make! If you’re using our printable gingerbread man template, start by coloring your gingerbread man with your favorite colored pencils or markers. We gave ours a cute Santa hat, a colorful bow tie, and a big happy smile!But you can decorate your gingerbread man however you like. Give him pink icing, colorful buttons, a funny face, or even a rainbow Christmas hat!

 

Making your puppet from colored paper?

Grab a piece of card-stock and draw a large gingerbread man with both arms raised in the air. Our gingerbread man measures approximately 16–17 cm tall. The most important part is to make the arms nice and long. Aim for arms that are almost half the length of your puppet, and make them wide enough to move freely. You can use our printable gingerbread man as an example when drawing your own. Don’t worry about making everything perfect. A slightly wonky gingerbread man can be just as cute!

 

Step 2: Cut Out Your Christmas Character

Once you’ve finished coloring, carefully cut around the outline of your Christmas puppet.  Make sure you cut all the way down between the arms and the head, following the outline. This is important because we want the arms to move freely when we pull the string. If the arms are too close to the head or aren’t cut out properly, they won’t be able to dance as easily. Take your time with this step, especially around the arms. Younger children might need a little help with the cutting.

 

Step 3: Attach the Straw to Your Puppet

Now we’re going to add the little mechanism that will make our Christmas puppet dance! Take your straw and cut it to the correct length.

Using the printable template? Cut your straw to match the dashed line on the printable.

Making your own puppet? Cut your straw so it reaches approximately two-thirds of the way up your character’s body. We colored our straw brown with a marker so it would blend in with our gingerbread man. You can do the same or leave your straw as it is. Next, glue the straw vertically onto the center of your puppet, following the dashed line. We used hot glue to make sure the straw was firmly attached. Make sure the straw is secure and that both ends remain open so the string can pass through.

Tip: If you’re using hot glue, this part is best done by an adult.

Step 4: Give Your Gingerbread Man Some Personality!

Before we attach the string, let’s add a few final details! This is where kids can really let their creativity shine. We decorated our gingerbread man with googly eyes, colorful beads, a little pink bow tie, and white icing details. You could also add:

• A cute paper Santa hat
• Colorful buttons or sequins
• A little bow tie
• Pom-poms
• A funny face
• Colorful icing patterns

You can use whatever craft supplies you already have at home. If you’re making Santa, give him a fluffy beard. If you’re making a snowman, add a colorful scarf. And if you’re making a penguin, why not give him a little Christmas hat? There are so many fun ways to make these Christmas puppets your own! Just remember to keep the arms light and flexible so they can still move easily.

Step 5: Add the String to Make Your Puppet Dance

Now for the exciting part! We’re going to attach the string that makes your Christmas puppet move. It might look a little tricky at first, but once you’ve made your first puppet, you’ll see how simple it is!

 

Cut and Fold Your String

Start by cutting a piece of string approximately 50–60 cm long. We used transparent string because it blends in nicely with the puppet. It almost looks like the little gingerbread man is dancing all by himself! However, transparent string can be a little tricky to handle, especially for younger children. You can also use regular cotton string, which is often easier for little hands to work with. Now fold your string exactly in half, bringing the two loose ends together.

 

Attach the Wooden Bead

At the folded end of your string, tie on a wooden bead or button. This will become the little handle you pull to make your puppet dance. Make sure the bead is securely attached so it doesn’t slip off.

 

Thread the String Through the Straw

Take the two loose ends of your string and thread them together through the straw. Start at the bottom of the straw and feed the strings upward until they come out at the top. You should now have your wooden bead hanging below your puppet and two loose string ends coming out of the top of the straw.

Attach the Strings to the Arms

Now take one string and attach it to your gingerbread man’s left hand. Attach the other string to the right hand. On our printable templates, we’ve marked the attachment points with tiny circles, so you know exactly where to place your strings. There are two ways to attach them.

 

Option 1: Use Clear Tape

Tie a small knot at the end of each string and secure it to the hand with a piece of clear tape. And tape on the Red Cross above. This is a simple option, especially when crafting with younger children.

 

Option 2: Make a Small Hole

For a neater finish, carefully make a small hole where the circle is marked. Thread the string through the hole and secure the end with tape on the back of your puppet. This keeps the attachment a little less visible from the front.

Important: Try to keep both strings the same length so the arms move evenly when you pull the bead.

Step 6: Pull the String and Watch Your Christmas Puppet Dance!

Are you ready? Your dancing Christmas puppet is finished! Hold your puppet and gently pull the wooden bead downward. Watch your little gingerbread man wave his arms and dance! How cute is that?! Try pulling the bead a few times to see how the arms move. If one arm moves higher than the other, you might need to adjust the string slightly. Once both arms are moving smoothly, your puppet is ready for its first Christmas dance! Now that you’ve made your first puppet, why not make a whole Christmas crew? Santa can wave hello, the penguin can flap its wings, and the snowman can join the Christmas party!

 

Tips for Making Your Christmas Puppets Dance

Here are a few helpful tips to make sure your Christmas puppets turn out great.

Use Slightly Thicker Paper

If you’re using our printable Christmas puppet templates, we recommend printing them on 120–160 gsm paper. This helps your puppets keep their shape without making them too stiff. If you’re making your own characters, colored card-stock works wonderfully.

Make Sure the Arms Are Long Enough

The arms are what make this craft so much fun! If you’re drawing your own character, make sure the arms are long and wide enough to move freely. Short or narrow arms might not move as easily when you pull the string.

Keep the Strings Even

For the best dancing movement, try to attach both strings at an equal length. If one arm moves more than the other, check the string lengths and adjust them if needed.

Don’t Pull Too Hard

A gentle pull is all you need to make your puppet dance. Pulling too hard could loosen the strings or damage the paper.

Try Different Christmas Characters

Once you’ve made your first dancing puppet, experiment with different characters! You can use the same technique to create a reindeer, Christmas elf, polar bear, or even a dancing Christmas monster.Let your imagination run wild!

 

Turn Your Christmas Puppets Into a Fun Holiday Activity!

One of the things we love most about these dancing Christmas puppets is that the fun doesn’t stop when the crafting is finished. Kids can actually play with their creations! Here are a few fun ideas to try.

Put on a Christmas Puppet Show

Make several different Christmas characters and let the kids create their own Christmas story.Maybe Santa has lost his presents, and the gingerbread man and penguin have to help him find them!Or perhaps all the Christmas characters are getting ready for a big holiday party.The possibilities are endless!

Have a Christmas Dance Party

Turn on your favorite Christmas songs and let the puppets dance along!Who has the best dance moves?Santa, the penguin, the snowman, or the gingerbread man?

Make Dancing Puppets in the Classroom

These printable Christmas puppets are also a fun Christmas craft for preschool and elementary school classrooms.Children can choose their favorite character, color it, and create their own moving puppet.You can even organize a little Christmas puppet parade once everyone has finished crafting!Younger children may need help attaching the string, while older kids can try putting the moving mechanism together themselves.

Get Your Dancing Christmas Puppets Templates!

Ready to make your own dancing Christmas puppets? Start with our free printable gingerbread man template and bring your very own little gingerbread cookie to life!

If you’d like to make more Christmas characters, our Dancing Christmas Puppets Printable Bundle includes the gingerbread man, Santa Claus, penguin, and snowman. Simply print, color, cut, and create your own collection of dancing Christmas friends! You can get all four Christmas puppets on Etsy and in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

 

More Fun Christmas Crafts for Kids

Looking for even more creative Christmas activities?We have plenty of fun Christmas craft ideas to keep little hands busy throughout the holiday season!From adorable paper Christmas ornaments to festive characters and printable Christmas activities, there’s something for every little crafter.And don’t forget to save these dancing Christmas puppets for your next holiday crafting afternoon!

Happy Christmas crafting!

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