Crocheted Puppets for Sunday School

My first experience as a teacher in children's Sunday school didn't go well. I took over for a lady who'd been teaching for about a decade. She tried to encourage me. "They're such sweet children, and there's not much to do at all. You have this lesson book with stories, puzzles, and questions. These children are old enough to read. They're the easiest age to teach." As she went out the door, she added, "They'll have to do a little skit for the Christmas program in about two weeks. They could just sing some carols."

She was right. The children were sweet. They could read, but they couldn't hide their boredom. We finished the lesson in about fifteen minutes. How was I to keep them occupied for the next forty-five?

As I prayed over this dilemma, I had one of those light-bulb moments that I like to think of as God thumping me on the head. Hand puppets of animals giving their commentary on Bible scenes, starting with the Christmas story. Before the next Sunday I'd crocheted a puppet for each child. Here are the sheep and donkey. 

 

I wrote the script so the children didn't have to memorize anything. They just read from under the table. Our pastor read the scripture from the pulpit. Very dramatic. The skit was the highlight of the Christmas program.

 



As time went on, I added other animals to fit other Bible scenes--even a snake. You don't have to guess which part he played.

Do you have any ideas to make Sunday school more interesting for children? Or for adults, for that matter.

These puppets are easy to crochet, and all animals are from the same basic pattern, my own creation. If you'd like the instructions, send me an email at elainehmanders at gmail dot com.

Whether you have ideas to share or not, comments will enter you for some fantastic prizes.