How to Make a Sock Puppet

Making a sock puppet is really quite fun. If you make several of them, you can even hold a puppet show. What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities too!

Very easy sock puppet

1. Find an old, clean sock. It can be any color you like, and it should be long enough for you to stick your arm in. Preferably, on a smaller arm, the sock should almost reach the elbow. 
   
   
2. Glue two googly eyes to the bottom of the sock, at the toe end. Kids crafts glue like Elmer's may not be strong enough to firmly attach the eyes, so consider using hot melt glue or Superglue. Make sure you get adult supervision!
   
   
3. Once the glue is dry, stick your hand in, with the top of your hand where the bottom of your foot would be, and form your hand into the shape of a mouth. Your arm should look like a snake.
   
   
4. Decorate the sock puppet with fabric paint and/or a felt tongue cut with a "v" at the end like a snake's tongue. Scouring the aisles of any arts and crafts store will allow you to find plenty of materials ideal for sock puppets, including:
   • Fabric glitter pens
   • Fabric markers (Sharpie brand makes a good one) - feel free to go crazy with neon or metallic colors
   • Assorted buttons and beads
   • Pipe cleaners
   • Straws
   • Felt, linen, or assorted patterns
     
     

Slightly more complicated sock puppet

This design will result in an animal of choice, be it a cat or dog or perhaps a donkey, a horse, a leopard...

1. Assemble the materials needed. These are one clean sock, needle and thread, scissors, googly or felt eyes, felt for nose and felt for tongue or mouth.
   
   
2. Turn the sock inside out. Flatten the heel of the sock and cut out a V shape in the center of the flattened heel. Stitch the cut edges closed; this forms two pointy ears. Once done, turn the sock inside out.
   
   
3. At the toe end of the sock, push in to form an indented mouth all the way around the toe end. Using double thread, sew running stitch around the folded edge; once you reach the end, pull the thread to gather it. This creates the mouth shape.
   
   
4. Glue or sew on the eyes at the appropriate spot above the mouth.
   
   
5. If you'd like this sock puppet to have whiskers, cut whisker length pieces of string or cord. Sew into place at the top center of the mouth.
   
   
6. Make a nose using felt. Cut a small triangle or circle to form a cute little nose. Either sew or glue it into place above the mouth. If you've added whiskers, keep these below the nose.
   
   
7. Cut out a tongue from felt or fabric. Make it tongue-shaped and try to use fabric in a suitable tongue color. Sew or glue the tongue inside the mouth of the sock puppet, so that most of it hangs out.
   
   
8. You're done! 
   
   

• Dress it up. If you like making clothes, give the sock puppet a few too.
• The type of character the sock puppet has is, in part, determined by the sock chosen. Spotted socks suggest creating leopards, cheetahs, Dalmatian dogs, etc., while striped socks suggest creating zebras, tigers and jailbirds. Plain socks could be a wide range of things but the color can help, so a white sock could be a white mouse, while a gray sock might be an elephant. When choosing the sock, let the sock's feature be a part of what decides your sock puppet's final character.
• You can make many different faces and animals.

• Supervise children if stitching a sock puppet on their own. Young children with little or no sewing experience will definitely need full attention and help from an older, more experienced person.

• A long sock
• Fabric paint for designs (optional)
• Googly eyes
• Felt (good for noses, tongues, eyes)
• Yarn (for hair)
• Fabric for clothes (optional)
• Glue
• Needle and thread
• Scissors