Dancing Robot Puppets with Printable Templates
I can’t get enough of paper puppet fun!!! Oh my, the things you can do with paper – and maybe a little cardboard! Today, we have a set of Dancing Robot Puppets – to compliment the rest of our articulated paper puppet printables. This comes as a set of 8 – 4 of them have strings attached and the other 4 (kind of a bonus 4) are to be made with “just” split pins (perfect for your younger crafters, or if you run out of time, but still want to make them). SO FUN! SO CUTE!
This little robot toy, is cute as a button, and a create way to flex your creativity! The great thing, is you can download all the printable files (total of 8 different types of robots), without the need for purchasing a kit! The kids will love these, I am sure! And they will provide much entertainment afterwards too.
STEM Project for Kids
We do like to add the “A” to STEM and make it STEAM, by being ARTY. However, this time, were are also looking at mechanics, so STEM it is! We love making articulated paper puppets – not only, because they are cute and fun. Obviously, that is the main reason, but because they also promote a wonderful set of learning opportunities – they key one – they are a secret little STEAM Project! Children get to learn how to make a very basic mechanical toy – you can talk about cause and effect too.
Other educational benefits include:
This is a fun project to get the kids off the smartphone or tablet device this summer and get creating! It is also a great introduction into some basic mechanical concepts, when learning how to control the robot toy’s body movements with the puppet string!
- coloring skills (so fine motor control of pens)
- scissor cutting skills (fine motor skills)
- finger strength (using a hole punch)
- and if you wish – exploring primary and secondary colors when working with younger children
For the love of STEM, give these a go!!
Suitable for preschool, through to elementary school and tweens
The great thing about today’s Robot Coloring Page Printables, is that you can use them for different age groups. If you are working with younger children, simply add the hole punch and split pins.. and “done”.
If you are working with older children, use the baker twine “extension” and turn them into a mechanical project.
It all depends on the time you have available and the ability of the children you are working on. My 13yrs old still loved this craft and though the robot paper puppets were super cute!
You may also like these 3d Build A Robot Printables:
Supplies needed to make a dancing robot puppet
- Printer & Printer paper
- The template(s)
- Cardboard (or use light cardstock that fits in the printer)
- Coloring pens/ markers/ pencils in bright colors
- Glue stick
- Scissors
- Split pins/ brads
- Hole punch
- EXTENSION: Bakers twine and needle to make the mechanism
The full set of 8 Different Robot Paper Puppets (4x articulated with string mechanism, 4 x just split pins) are available from my online stores on Gumroad or Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s.. BUT.. as ALWAYS, I have ONE FREE ROBOT paper puppet available too – the freebie is JUST the printable and does NOT include the assembly worksheet. Also, remember, if you subscribe to my newsletter, I sometimes do a “flash freebie” day or weekend. So may sure to sign up, for the opportunity to get them ALL for free in the future.
Each cute little bot is carefully designs to include lots of fun details and I feel that each printable has it’s own personality and emotions! Who knew that making android paper puppets could be so fun (in fact, if you are really keen, you can try and mix and match the robot body parts? Would love to see what you come up with that. A great spin on the basic project idea. With lots more creativity opportunity for the kids!).
How to make your Paper Robot Puppet using our Coloring Pages
Do watch the video on auto play for instructions as well!
Now you have your set of printable robot coloring pages.. pick your different character/ all robot toys and then either print them out on some light cardstock or glue to them onto some light cardboard – e.g. a recycled envelope as we used here, or a cereal box is great too!
Take your time coloring your robots. You can use pens, markers, watercolors, pencils, crayons.. whatever takes your fancy!
I used some lovely broad marker pens to do these. Highlighter pens could look great too!
Now carefully cut out all your robot pieces!
Use a hole punch to punch out all the “crosses” on your robot puppet!
On one of the puppets – you will need to glue down the robot head. The other puppets won’t need this step.
Add all your robot arms and legs to your robot body using split pins!
Your basic split pin robot puppet is finished. If working with younger children like preschoolers, this is a great “time” to finish your activity. The kids can go off and play with their robot paper puppets.
If working with older kids… head to the extension (possible with FOUR of the robots – their printables have been marked with “extension”),
Extension: Make it an articulated robot puppet that dances.
The 4 arms and legs, have a small black dot, next to where you hole punched out the cross. This is the dot that you will need to thread your threads through.
A sharp needle is best for this – adults may want to make the holes for you!
Take off the arms and legs.. and make the holes with a sharp needle.
Now comes the “tricky” assembly part. You will need to go into the BACK of one arm, and then through the front of the second arm. This is, so both of the knots to tie off the string, are on the outside of the robot and don’t get in the way of your “dancing” and “dingly dangling”.
When you knot off the string.. make sure both arms are pointing down, and you get one neat straight line across the back of the robot.
Repeat for the legs in the same way. So you have two straight lines of string running across the back AND both the arms and legs are a pointing down.
Now you need to connect the two strings with a 3rd piece going perpendicular. You will end up with a capital I shape.
Finished! Your awesome dancing robot puppets are FINISHED!
This is part of a set of extensive articulated paper puppets available on Red Ted Art (many many many of which are FREE.. and if the whole sets aren’t free, there is almost always a freebie individual included. So do take a peak at the all our paper puppets with templates and printables here:
