Handle Bag Puppets (Rod Puppet)

A puppet that is simple for children to use.

From Kurt Hunter's Rotation Puppet website:

"Handle Bag" puppets are simply a "head" on a handle (in this case, a wooden dowel) inserted into a hole in the middle of an envelope of fabric. 

The child's hand inserted into the corner of the fabric envelope becomes the puppets "hand".
The handle bag puppets are ideal for "acting out" the stories.  They can handle props and express emotions very well.  (Editor notes: They can even hold something in their "hand.")

The stories are told with narration, but no dialogue, so the children operating the puppets only have to concentrate on what the puppet will do, not what it will say. For this reason, "moving mouth" puppets are not well suited to the way we use puppets in Sunday School.

For detailed instructions on how to construct a Handle Bag Puppet, refer to Kurt Hunter's book: Puppets, Kids, and Christian Education.

The handle bag puppet instructions are copyrighted and can not be included here.

There are even instructions on how to create a "group" puppet. Shown here is the group puppet we constructed being used to represent the "brothers" as they show their father Jacob, Joseph's coat. (This is just two puppeteers handling these "two" puppets!)

I will note that we constructed some of our handle bag puppets not using solid pieces of wood for the heads (as instructed in Kurt's book) but using pieces of foam core. They have held up well so far (at least 10 years?).

For more photos of handle bag puppets in action, see here.