Make a Paper Bag Groundhog Puppet for Groundhog Day 2024

February 2, 2024…Happy Groundhog Day!  We have the cutest groundhog day craft for kids of all ages. Let’s make a groundhog puppet! Perfect for preschool and kindergarten and older kids, this easy Groundhog Paper Bag Puppet is a fun way to tell stories about the history of Groundhog Day.

Cutest Groundhog Craft…Ever!

This past weekend, my children and I went to a nature program to visit our city’s famous groundhog! He was fat, fuzzy, and very adorable. We were most surprised by how small his ears were!

Related: Groundhog Day coloring pages

GROUNDHOG PAPER BAG PUPPET Craft

To celebrate Groundhog Day, my kids and I hit the library for some books, then came home and made this adorable Groundhog Paper Bag Puppet to play with while we read stories.

Related: How to make a puppet – easy!

This Groundhog Day craft came out cute and was pretty easy too, making it perfect for home, school, or daycare settings!

Best Ages for this Groundhog Day Craft

Younger crafters like toddlers and preschoolers might need some assistance or having the pieces cut out ahead of time can make it easier if you are supervising more than one.  Kindergarten level and above will take this idea and run without much need for help.

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Supplies Needed to Make a Groundhog Puppet

Directions to Make a Groundhog Puppet

Step 1

After gathering supplies, invite children to cut 2 very small ears for their groundhog puppet from a scrap paper bag. Glue the ears to the puppet.

Step 2

Next, cut a round black nose and 2 large white teeth from the construction paper. Glue the nose and teeth to the paper bag, then stick 2 adhesive wiggly eyes above them. 

Step 3

Show kids how to use a black felt tip pen or marker to add details to their puppet, like little paws and whiskers.

Step 4

Next, invite kids to cut strips of green construction paper the same width of the paper bag.

Step 5

Use scissors to cut the green paper halfway down to create grass.

Step 6

Glue the paper to the bottom of the puppet to make it look like the groundhog is popping out of the ground!

Step 7

Use the pink and brown crayons to add detail and shading to the puppet.

Step 8

My favorite part of this Groundhog Day craft is the cute ears on the Groundhog puppet!

Your Finished Groundhog Craft is Ready for Groundhog Day!

When the glue is dry, kids will have so much fun using their puppets to retell the story of Groundhog Day!

My children enjoyed creating shadows on the wall with their puppet, then making the groundhog run away.

Easy Variations to Groundhog Day Craft

Depending on the age of your participants, we thought up some fun ideas that could take this groundhog puppet craft to the next groundhog level {giggle}…

1. Toddler Groundhog Day Craft Ideas

When crafting with toddlers at any time of the year, it will be an adventure!  Cutting out the major groundhog craft parts ahead of time will allow them a little more independence and flexibility.  Using a black pom pom for the nose and brown pom poms for the ears will allow them to more easily maneuver the craft supplies since their fine motor skills are still in development!

2. Preschool Groundhog Day Craft Ideas

Preschoolers tend to love this craft because it turns into a toy afterward!  In general, the only thing they may need assistance with is cutting out the groundhog puppet nose, teeth and ears.  They will likely be able to create the grass effect independently (although it may look different than you expect!).  If you want to minimize the amount of cutting, use pom poms instead like suggested for toddlers.

3. Kindergarten Groundhog Day Craft Ideas

With the Kindergarten level there is a ton of flexibility on not only how much they can accomplish on their own with crafting skills, but also what they WANT it to look like.  Providing extra crafting supplies and tools like markers, colored pencils, real grass, fake grass confetti, pom poms and more can give Kindergartners an invitation to be creative.  Give Kindergartners a platform to create their Groundhog Day puppet Show afterward!

Groundhog Day Books to Inspire Puppet Theater

Related: Don’t miss our easy Groundhog Day snack idea!

More Puppet Crafts for Kids

Click the links below to view more crafts & puppets for kids to make just in case you want your puppet show to have more than one character!

How did your Groundhog Day Puppet Show go? Did your kids love the groundhog day craft idea?