Maybe you’d like to start a puppet team in your ministry, but you don’t know how to begin. If that’s true, this blog will give you everything you need to get started. Actually I’m going to direct you to resources that will get you started. Most of these resources don’t come from me and I don’t earn anything from recommending them. I just know they work.
Where do I begin?
If you know absolutely nothing about puppets, I recommend you start with a training DVD. The one I have used for years is not out of stock, but you could try this one at Puppets Inc.
Where do I access puppet scripts?
You can find a wide variety of puppet scripts. You’ll find at least twenty here, on my website, for free. Creative Art Ministry Resources is another source of free Christian scripts, including mine. When I look for a script, I look for one that is funny. If it’s not funny at all, it doesn’t really fit puppets. I also look for one with a simple message that is worth telling. I avoid scripts that twist Bible stories a little too far or border on being sacrilegious.
Where do I access recordings for puppets?
Some companies have recorded programs so the puppeteers only have to synchronize their puppets’ lips with the words. This may be easier for your puppeteers to work with at first. Sometimes this gives a more professional performance, though quality of recording differs greatly. If you have quite conservative standards, you may not be pleased with some of the contemporary music on many recordings. Years ago our daughter Lori led our puppet team using the songs off Patch the Pirate tapes. These recordings now exist on CD’s. They aren’t formatted especially for puppets, but many songs can work for puppets. These CD’s have fun songs that are acceptable to most conservative Christians. We continue to use these songs in our ministry today. You may want to order the songbooks (Patch the Pirate Praises, volumes 1-3) to copy the words of the song for your team to lip synch.
Where do I buy puppets or patterns to make them?
Amazon has a wide variety of people puppets, some better quality than others.
If you want to try making them, The Tucson Puppet Lady has some patterns for people puppets that looks like some we’ve used.
If you have a boy, girl, man, and woman puppet you can perform a wide variety of puppet scripts. We change the clothes of our puppets and add hats or novelty wigs to make them be a wide variety of characters. Sometimes well-selected used baby clothes work well for puppets.
How can I make a puppet stage?
Though I haven’t personally used this pattern, I’m sure this pattern would give you the instructions you needed to make a stage that would work for your ministry. With all these resources you should be able to start your own puppet team and bring joy and enthusiasm to your own ministry.