Easy Christmas Elf Paper Puppet with Templates

We love easy Paper Christmas Crafts – paper is super fun and versatile and there are so many things you can make with it.. like our super fun Paper Elf Puppets. We have a set of Boy Elf Puppets and Girl Elf Puppets.. for lots of Christmas fun. A great and easy STEAM project for kids!

BEFORE YOU MOVE ON: We now have an adorable REINDEER Paper Puppet too and of course our Multicultural Santa Puppets!

Celebrate the Christmas season with this fun paper pupper arts and crafts activity! This is a perfect activity for 3rd grade or 4th grade (KS2) and I hope you have lots of fun with it!

Elf Paper Puppet – Materials

Affiliate links added for convenience

• Make sure you download your puppets below (there are free versions available – click on the link below the red buy it here button)
• Either paper & a laminator and laminting sheets OR light card stock that will fit in the printer
• Hole punch (single hole hole punches are super handy US / UK)
• Brads/ split pins (US / UK)
• Bakers Twine (oh how I LOVE bakers twine) (US/ UK)
• A large pointy needle

You can get one of the full coloured elves HERE for free. But for the complete set and a 14 page printable head to my Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s store. You will get a printable lesson plan, an assembly worksheet AND 4 Santas to print (the 2 coloring pages + 11 Elf Skin tones and hair colors!).

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE ELF in full colour

Click HERE for your Elf Coloring Page (also still free 🙂

Elf Paper Puppet – How To

I love that “colour your own” version really allows you to personalise your printable. Have fun with colours, patterns and shadings!

Thank you to Jo for sending this adorable adapation!

Yes, yes yes YES! Anothere quick and handy how to make a paper puppet video for you.. but again, I have included instructions down below, including a schematic for how to assemble the back of your Christmas Puppet – that is in fact the key bit to your craft. Get that bit wrong and your lovely little elf won’t be able to flap his arms and legs in quite the best way!

How to make a paper puppet move – step by step instructions

1. Begin by choosing either your colour your own paper puppet or ready to assemble puppet. If you are using a laminator, print on ordinary paper, if you are using just card, print directly onto the card. Be sure you use card that is suitable for your printer.
2. If colouring, colour your elf now…. once fully coloured, run it through the laminator. If you are using a Fellowes laminator, you do NOT have to cut your elf out first, the Fellowes’ laminating sheets will “seal” your paper for you.
3. It is now time to cut out all your Elf “bits”. Cut them as neatly as you can.

1. Using your hole punch, make holes for the moving parts – 4 in the body, one each in the arms and legs.
2. Thread your needle. It does help to have a large eyed, pointy needle – especially if using a laminator. If you do laminate your paper puppets you MAY need to make the holes for the bakers twine with scissors.
3. Loosely connect your arms and legs with your brads / split pins.
4. Now guide the thread throw the marked hole of one arm and then through the other.

1. Make sure the arms are in the “down position” and that the thread runs across in a straight manner – not too tight, not too loose. Knot the other end.
2. Repeat for the legs.
3. Now you have one last thing to do – add a connecting piece of string between the arms and the legs – it is important that this isn’t too tight (the arms won’t move) or too loose (the legs own’t move).. again.. it needs to be “just right”…
4. And your Elf Paper Puppet is FINISHED!! ENJOY!

Remember we have more Christmas Paper Puppets coming soon!! As well as the CUTEST Bat Paper Puppet. Do watch out for those too.

You may also like these Christmas Clothespin Puppets:

Also take a look at our Bat Paper Puppet:

As well as our customisable Day Of the Dead Puppets:

We love LOTS more Christmas Printables here:

As well as a fabulous collection of Paper Christmas Crafts for kids:

ENJOY!! And I hope you have lots of fun with your Easy Paper Puppets for Christmas! As mentioned.. more Christmas Paper Puppet Templates coming soon.. including some wonderful Multicultural Santa Paper Puppets.. and I was also thinking maybe some Angel Paper puppets and some Rudolph/ Reindeer Paper Puppets.. what do you think? What should I work on next and add to the Elf Puppets that we have today already?

This Elf Puppet video is also available on YouTube