← All hobbiesPerforming arts
Puppetry
Building and performing with puppets — sock, hand, rod, shadow or marionette.
Sign in to save hobbies.
Startup cost
Free or nearly free
Difficulty
Easy to start
Typical session
~60 min
Activity
Light movement
Space
A table or desk
Equipment
Little or none
What do you actually do?
- Make a puppet from socks, card or foam
- Practice giving it movement and a voice
- Perform short scenes or shadow plays
Why people enjoy it
- Performance without being on show yourself
- Building and acting in one hobby
- Silly, joyful and great with kids
What you'll need
- Socks, card, fabric or foam
- Glue and scissors
- For shadow puppets: a lamp and a sheet
Startup cost: Free or nearly free — a rough beginner estimate in US dollars (2026). Borrowing, secondhand and library kits can bring it down.
Time & difficulty
A typical session is about 60 minutes. Easy to start: you'll make something you're happy with on day one.
Getting started
- Make a sock or paper-bag puppet
- Practice lip-sync: the mouth opens on each syllable
- Try shadow puppets with a lamp and card cut-outs
- Perform a 1-minute scene
Common beginner mistakes
- Opening the mouth too wide on every word
- Forgetting the puppet's eye line
- Over-building before trying to perform
Accessibility
Hand puppets can be performed seated; shadow puppets need little strength.
Courses & resources
We haven't verified specific courses yet, so we're not listing any rather than guessing. Libraries, community centers and the official sites of tools you use are good first stops.