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Egg Shell Finger Puppets

Mar 18, 20136,789 views
Crafts
Fine motor activity with egg shell puppets Save
markers and eggs shells play Save
egg shell puppets fine motor activity Save
pretend play with egg shell puppets Save
writing with egg shells Save
toddler writing on egg shells as fine motor activity Save

by TurkeyMom in Crafts

Ages4–7 yrs
Prep5 min
Activity—
Leveleasy
MessLow
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Kids draw faces on cleaned, dried egg shells with permanent markers, add a flower sticker hat, then slip the puppets onto their fingers for pretend play. Holding the fragile shells builds marker control and a gentle touch.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Egg shells are fragile and the edges can be sharp. If you're worried about scratches, cover the shell opening with a little playdough or felt, or cover the child's fingers with fabric.
  • Rinse shells well and let them dry before play. Kids wash hands after handling egg shells.
  • Broken shell bits and small stickers are a mouthing and choking risk. The author says this is not really a toddler activity, so supervise closely if younger siblings join in.
  • Permanent markers stain skin, clothes and tables. Cover the table and supervise.

Before the kids arrive

  • Collect egg shells for a while, then clean them and let them dry.
  • Cover the table, since permanent markers don't wash off.

Steps

  1. Give each child a few cleaned, dried egg shells, some permanent markers and flower stickers.

  2. Hold an egg shell gently in one hand and draw on it with the other: a face, a character or doodles.

  3. Press lightly. If a shell cracks, take a new one and try a gentler touch.

  4. Stick a flower sticker on top to give the puppet a flower hat.

  5. If you're worried about scratches, cover the opening with a little playdough or felt, or wrap fingers in fabric.

  6. Slip the egg shell puppet onto a finger.

  7. Put a few characters on your fingers and make up stories and conversations.

Tips

  • I thought she would just decorate them, but she drew facial features and turned them into egg characters. Let the kids lead.from the author
  • After breaking a couple of shells with too much pressure, she figured out the right pressure to keep the egg intact. It's a good chance to practice not giving up.from the author
  • Know your child before starting egg shell puppet play. We have at least 4-5 broken puppets; my toddler tried very hard to get at them with her toy hammer.from the author
  • The opening in the egg shell did not bother my 4 year old.from the author
  • With a few characters on her fingers, my 4 year old was off making up stories. Talk about language and conversation skills!from the author
  • My toddler kept working with a broken shell anyway, and we loved the result.from the author

Make it your own

  • Make a puppet family, like our mom and kid egg shell puppets, and act out their day (ours apparently go to the park together).
  • Use any broken shells for an egg shell mosaic, like our earlier egg shell mosaic craft.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · March 2013
markers and eggs shells play
Since we have been coloring and decorating eggs, playing with egg shells seemed a good fit. I presented my preschooler with cleaned and dried egg shells, permanent markers and flower stickers.
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Egg Shell Finger Puppets: the original post

We have collecting egg shells for a while now and we recently found a fun way to use a few of them. Presenting a kid created fine motor activity for kids. When I say fine motor, I mean this is a fine motor activity with a capital F. I presented my preschooler with some cleaned and dried egg shells, permanent markers and some flower stickers. I thought she will decorate them. But no, she went ahead and drew facial features on them and turned them into egg characters. The writing and drawing on egg shells was great for developing her fine motor skills and more importantly pen/pencil/marker control. After breaking a couple of eggshells with too much pressure , she finally figured out the optimal pressure needed to create a wonderful art piece at the same keeping the egg intact. Good opportunity to inculcate the habit of not giving up and trying harder to get the desired result

markers and eggs shells play Since we have been coloring eggs and decorating eggs, playing with egg shells seemed to be a good fit for this fine motor activity.

writing on shells My toddler HAD to join in the fun. I was pretty sure this fine motor activity is not all that toddler friendly. Anyway since the younger sister by law should do whatever the older sister does, this one turned into everyone’s activity. My toddler’s egg shells. I admired her will to continue to work with the broken shell. Love the result.

toddler writing on egg shells as fine motor activity >We even put a flower hat on the puppets

fine motor play with eggs

Our mom puppet

writing with egg shells

The egg shell puppets were a great way to inspire some pretend play sessions. With a few characters on her fingers, my 4 year old was off making up stories. Talk about language and conversation skills!

pretend play with egg shell puppets

Our mom and kid egg shell puppets

egg shell puppets fine motor activity Quick Notes: 1. Please know your child before engaging in egg shell puppet play. We ave at least 4-5 broken egg shell puppets. My toddler tried very hard to get her hands on those guys and use her toy hammer on them. Remember our egg shell mosaic? However my 4 year old adored her characters she tried harder to be careful with the next puppet and finally now we have 3 alive ones who talk to each other and apparently go to the park together. I don’t want to imagine those guys going down the slide though! 2. Not so much a toddler activity for obvious reasons. 3. The opening in the egg shell did not bother my 4 year old. If you are worried about scratches, you can cover the egg shell opening with small amounts of playdough or felt. Alternatively cover your child’s fingers with fabric.

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