The Itsy Bitsy Spider

One of the easiest learning props to create are puppets. There are stick puppets, hand puppets, and finger puppets. Puppets are wonderful ways of engaging children with stories and rhymes. They can be used to sing the song, retell the rhyme and make the song more hands-on. The best thing is that most puppets can be made with items from around the house:

-- cut out images from old cards and tape onto craft sticks
-- cut out images from coloring books
-- find puppet printables already made on the internet
-- create from old, clean socks
-- decorate paper bags
-- create from craft foam

For my Itsy Bitsy Spider stick puppets, I created the printable for you. All you have to do is download, print and cut! (See link below)



For a twist on the stick puppets, you can also make it an educational game. I wrote the words of each picture on the craft stick. For toddlers, this is a nice way to introduce print and vocabulary. For my preschooler, I wrote the words again on plain craft sticks. Then she tried to match the words with the pictures.

Itsy Bitsy Spider Lunch: In this instance, it's ok to play with your food! Kellie from Little Nummies made this cute lunch idea. Visit her blog for the complete set-up.



Creating Playdough spiders is another way to bring the Itsy Bitsy Spider to life.