Playing games with sock puppets

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Making and playing with sock puppets is a great way to encourage your little one to play pretend and make creative choices.

You don't need many craft materials to make a sock puppet, you can get started with a pair of clean, light-coloured socks and a set of felt tip pens. If you've got a couple of socks, why not make a second one alongside your child?

Watch the video below to see the activity in action, and read on for ideas for some imaginative play.

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Making the sock puppets

Making the sock puppets with your child is just as important (and fun) as playing with them.

Child-safe felt tip pens work well and are easy to find, but stickers, crayons or even small amounts of poster paint could be used.

For each feature of the sock puppet, ask your child what it might look like. If they aren't sure what to do, you can demonstrate on your own sock before letting them have a go.

With each detail, ask a question for your child to answer. Asking questions not only gives your child some creativity and independence, it's a great way to let them choose the right words to express themselves.

Some questions you might ask:

How many eyes does the sock have?
What shape should the nose be?
Are they smiling or frowning?
What colour should their hair be?
Does the sock have a name?

Sock puppet story time

When your sock puppets are complete, you and your child can use them to tell a story together. As with designing the sock puppets, let your child take the lead, asking questions about where the puppets are, what they're doing and where they're going. This is a great opportunity to get your child thinking imaginatively, beyond the here and now. What does their character like to do? Where do they live?

You can make more sock puppets for other family members, use other toys in the story telling, and use them again later for other playtimes.