This Jumping Paper Cup Elf Puppet Craft is so much fun to make and play with. Kids will love how these Jumping Elf Puppets leap up and down when they pull the string!
This is such a cute interactive Christmas craft and it has a wonderful STEM element too!
This paper cup elf craft is a super fun way to bring some learning into your Christmas craft time. Kids will love this easy educational Christmas toy and experimenting and learning about gravity, forces, levers and more!
Hang your finished Paper Cup Elf Puppet on a hook or door handle and when you pull the strings out to the side it will “jump” up along the strings and when you bring your hands together again it will “jump” back down! So fun!
Jumping Paper Cup Elf Puppet Craft Tutorial
These adorable Christmas elf puppets are easier to make than you might think. Because they’re built around a paper cup they don’t require much more than a bit of cutting and sticking.
We’ve shown you each simple step below with a photograph and written instructions so you can easily follow along.
Supplies To Make Jumping Paper Cup Elf Puppets:
- White Paper Cups
- Skin Tone Paint
- Red and Green Paint
- Cardstock – White, Black, Red and Green
- Mini Pom Poms – Red and White
- Small Wiggle Eyes
- Yarn
- Glue
- Scissors
How To Make A Cute Jumping Paper Cup Elf Puppet Craft For Christmas
1 – Your white paper cup makes the face and body of the Christmas elf craft, so first of all cover the thin end with a skin tone paint and the fat end red or green.
2 – Flip your paper cup up-side-down and make two small holes in the base. We gently pushed through with a small pair of scissors to make ours. (Grown ups only.)
3 – Take an arm span length of yarn and thread the ends through the holes on the bottom of the paper cup to make a loop. Tie the two ends together.
4 – Paint a small piece of cardstock with skin tone paint.
5 – Cut out two pixie ear shapes for each elf puppet from your skin tone painted card.
6 – Glue the elf’s ears onto the side of the paper cup head.
7 – To make your elf’s bright stripy legs cut thin strips of green cardstock and glue them onto a sheet of red cardstock.
8 – Cut two long strips of stripy card for each elf puppet.
9 – Cut two curly elf shoes from black cardstock.
10 – Concertina fold your elf legs and glue the curly shoes onto the ends.
11 – Glue the legs into the inside of the paper cup body.
12 – Cut a thin strip of white card long enough to wrap around the elf’s neck. Cut little zig zags along one side.
13 – Glue the zig zag neck decoration around the elf puppet.
14 – Cut an elf hat out of red or green cardstock and glue it on.
15 – Now, cut two arms out of red or green cardstock. Cut two semi circular hands from your skin tone painted card and glue them on.
16 – Glue the elf’s arms onto the back of the paper cup.
17 – Finish off your Jumping Paper Cup Elf Puppet Craft by glueing a white pom pom onto the top of his hat and a red pom pom nose. Add some wiggle eyes and a cheeky smile and your Christmas elf puppet is ready for some fun and games!
Hang you elf puppet onto a door handle and pull the two strings out to the side. Now your elf will jump up and then down again when you bring your hands back together.
STEM Elf Project
You can of course just enjoy this elf craft as it is. However, if you want to bring some STEM learning into your craft time encourage kids to think about why and how it is working.
They can also experiment with changing variables to see what happens. Such as, making the strings longer or shorter, adding weight to the elf, or positioning the string holes in different places.
Finally, don’t forget to pin this elf craft so you can find it again easily.
You can print the instructions below if you want a hard copy to have on your table while you craft.
Looking for some other Christmas puppet crafts? Try our Santa Stuck in the Chimney Puppets, Nativity Finger Puppets, Reindeer Sock Puppets and Dancing Elves.
You can print the elf craft instructions below.
More Fun Christmas Crafts To Try:
Easy and Fun Jumping Elf Puppets
Materials
- White Paper Cups
- Skin Tone Paint
- Red and Green Paint
- Cardstock – White, Black, Red and Green
- Mini Pom Poms – Red and White
- Small Wiggle Eyes
- Yarn
- Glue
- Scissors
Instructions
- Your white paper cup makes the face and body of the Christmas elf craft, so first of all cover the thin end with a skin tone paint and the fat end red or green.
- Flip your paper cup up-side-down and make two small holes in the base. We gently pushed through with a small pair of scissors to make ours. (Grown ups only.)
- Take an arm span length of yarn and thread the ends through the holes on the bottom of the paper cup to make a loop. Tie the two ends together.
- Paint a small piece of cardstock with skin tone paint.
- Cut out two pixie ear shapes for each elf puppet from your skin tone painted card.
- Glue the elf’s ears onto the side of the paper cup head.
- To make your elf’s bright stripy legs cut thin strips of green cardstock and glue them onto a sheet of red cardstock.
- Cut two long strips of stripy card for each elf puppet.
- Cut two curly elf shoes from black cardstock.
- Concertina fold your elf legs and glue the curly shoes onto the ends.
- Glue the legs into the inside of the paper cup body.
- Cut a thin strip of white card long enough to wrap around the elf’s neck. Cut little zig zags along one side.
- Glue the zig zag neck decoration around the elf puppet.
- Cut an elf hat out of red or green cardstock and glue it on.
- Cut two arms out of red or green cardstock. Cut two semi circular hands from your skin tone painted card and glue them on.
- Glue the elf’s arms onto the back of the paper cup.
- Finish off your Jumping Paper Cup Elf Puppet Craft by glueing a white pom pom onto the top of his hat and a red pom pom nose. Add some wiggle eyes and a cheeky smile and your Christmas elf puppet is ready for some fun and games!
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