DIY shadow theater for children - stencils. DIY paper puppet theater

Children are great dreamers and storytellers, capable of coming up with many incredible stories and seeing magic in every little thing. And the child will remember the opportunity to participate in the creation of a theatrical performance based on his own plot for the rest of his life. Take your time: make your own shadow theater for children - you will find stencils for the first performances and useful practical tips in our article.

Where does shadow theater come from?

The art of shadow performances originated in Asia approximately 1,700 years ago. It is difficult to name the exact place, but traditionally it is considered to be China, where a beautiful legend about the emergence of the first shadow theater is still revered to this day:

Once upon a time, one of the ancient Chinese emperors experienced grief - a serious illness claimed the life of his beloved wife. The widower was inconsolable. Forgetting about state affairs, he retired to his chambers and refused to talk to his family. Deprived of a powerful hand, the mighty empire risked falling into decay.

The situation was saved by a smart courtier, who once called the emperor to the chambers of his deceased wife to show her silhouette behind the curtain. The shocked ruler silently watched as the shadow of his beloved moved behind the thin screen. Such performances became an evening tradition and gradually the emperor’s melancholy left him, because he realized: death is like this thin fabric barrier, it only temporarily separated him from his beloved, and they will meet again in another life.

History is silent about the fate of the courtier who created the first shadow theater with his own hands. But it is known for certain that such ideas quickly became popular in all social circles, and their geography over several centuries covered all of China, India, Turkey, and a little later Europe and Russia.

Shadow theater has survived to this day almost unchanged: the staging of light and the mobility of graceful silhouettes are still the same. But if now it is easy to find and print simple stencils for home performances, then in the past select craftsmen were engaged in making dolls. They tanned donkey skins with their own hands, from which they carved figures. The dolls were decorated with fine paintings and worked out to the smallest detail.

The puppets for the shadow theater were not very tall; usually their height was about 30 cm. However, the complexity of the productions is amazing: up to 1000 figures were involved in one performance, controlled by puppeteers using long rods. The play of light and shadow, the movement of silhouettes to music and an exciting plot: shadow theater remains a favorite form of art for children and adults all over the world. It’s easy to experience beauty by printing out stencils and making a shadow theater with your own hands.

The benefits of shadow theater for children

The brightness and dynamics of the shadow theater scenery have a positive effect on the child’s psyche. But the joy of participating in a performance is far from the only plus of shadow stops; there are several other important points for the overall development:

The very atmosphere necessary for the shadow theater show is relaxing and sets the mood for intimate communication. Twilight and the expectation of some kind of sacrament - this is so similar to the gatherings around the fire that many people remember;
The heroes of the productions have a conventional appearance, only the silhouette is determined. To understand the full picture of what is happening, you need to use your imagination;
Shadow theater gives the child a chance to try himself in a new role, stimulates the desire for self-expression and simplifies social adaptation;
The need to remember the plot and lines trains attention and concentration. For children, participation in shadow theater performances will be a good way to expand their vocabulary and develop speech;
Controlling dolls stimulates fine motor skills and teaches hand coordination.

Of course, you shouldn’t demand a lot from kids right away. First, let them master the role-playing game skill itself, without a plot. Let children have plenty of fun with the stenciled figures, learn how to control them and voice them. Perhaps children will soon have their favorite characters, which will give a new impetus to their imagination - inventing stories for impressive characters is always more interesting.

Essentially, a shadow theater is a properly lit fabric screen and a set of figures. The screen is easy to make with your own hands:

Cut a wide rectangular frame from thick cardboard;
Take a piece of thin white fabric, cut out a rectangle that exactly matches the size of the outer edges of the frame;
Carefully glue the fabric onto the cardboard, avoiding wrinkles. The screen should be well stretched. You can use regular PVA or Moment glue.

A curtain made of thick material can be attached to the front of the screen to open and close it, just like in a real theater. It is important that the curtain material slides freely, so use a smooth synthetic cord as a fastener.

Think in advance where exactly in your home it is best to place the shadow theater so that you can set the light correctly. The lighting source should be located above and behind the screen, then only the silhouettes of the dolls will be visible on the fabric, and the puppeteer himself will remain hidden from view.

The most crucial moment is working with stencils. To make them you will need:

Thin cardboard;
Paper or plastic tubes (can be replaced with long wooden skewers);
Sheets of black paper;
Glue gun;
Scissors.

Having some artistic skills, you can draw the silhouettes of the desired characters yourself, but it is much easier and faster to use ready-made stencils. You might like our selection.

So, let's start making the figures:

Don’t forget to take into account which side of the screen this or that character will appear during the action, so that the figure’s profile is turned in the desired direction.

Take care of creating decorations - stencils of trees, houses, fences, etc. will come in handy here. The scenery is tightly attached directly to the frame, for which an elastic band is pulled along its inner side - it presses the stencil holders during the performance. If you need to increase the size of the shadow, move the doll away from the screen and the silhouette will become larger, but lose its clarity.

Don’t exclude children from preparing the props—working with stencils will only fuel their interest. At the same time, tell us about the history of this unusual art form. Having made a shadow theater for children with your own hands, do not rush to throw away the stencils, you will still need them. Place the preparations in a paper envelope and quickly invite everyone in your household to an exciting performance.

Imagine - evening twilight, a tightly drawn curtain and spectators frozen in anticipation of a miracle. Soon, next to the most ordinary lamp, a magical performance will begin, woven from almost nothing. Shadow theater is a fascinating spectacle that appeals to children of any age, from one-year-old babies to primary schoolchildren, who happily take part in the preparation of the performance and come up with their own fairy tales for the shadow performance.

You don't have to go to a real theater to watch a theatrical performance of light and shadow. All this can be done at home using available materials. Home shadow theater is a fun and useful activity for the whole family. Everyone can participate in the preparation and performance of the performance, imagination is in full swing, the plot is full of surprises, and the level of complexity of the scenery and figures depends on the interest of the kids and the time that everyone is ready to devote to it.

What kind of shadow theater is there?

Finger theater consists of shadows that appear on the screen due to the different positions of the hands and the intertwining of the “director’s” fingers. Most often these are images of well-known animals, but professionals can show human faces or some inanimate objects. This is great for training fine motor skills and coordination.

Puppet theater is a performance using ready-made figures and scenery. The characters are cut out of cardboard, mounted on sticks and moved according to the action. Due to the fact that almost anything can be cut out of cardboard, the shadow puppet theater provides a boundless field for the flight of children's imagination.

What do you need for a home shadow theater?

1. Light source - this can be a simple table lamp, a travel flashlight or any other lamp with directional light.

2. Screen - is a translucent white plane that can be made from different materials - tracing paper, a thin white sheet, ordinary Whatman paper or sheets of white paper fastened together. The frame for the screen can be a cut-out lid from any box, an artistic stretcher, a two-story children's bed - any structure on which you can stretch the screen. You can make it from a decomposed shoe box and stretch a sheet over a bunk bed. A small “stage” is suitable for simple finger shows, but if you want to prepare a real puppet show, it is better to make a spacious large screen where the whole story will fit.

3. Setting and Characters – Choose where you want to start. If you decide to try finger theater, practice with your child how to fold your palms and fingers in such a way that “live” images of animals appear on the screen. A dog can bark, a crocodile can open its toothy mouth, a bunny can move its ears - whatever you imagine. For the puppet theater you will need thick cardboard from which you will cut out decorations and figures.

Helpful Tips:

1. The screen should be located between the audience and the lamp. The actors are between the lamp and the screen. Remember that the lamp gets hot and it is best not to touch the light source during the performance.

2. In order for the shadows to be clear, the light should fall directly, and not from the side, and the lamp should not be close, but two or three meters from the wall.

3. The light source should always be behind the screen and slightly to the side. Position yourself so that the shadow of your body almost does not fall on the screen, and the shadow of your hands is evenly clear.

4. It is better to paint cardboard figures with black paint, then they will be contrasting and noticeable on the screen.

5. The size of the shadows on the screen depends on the distance from the figure to the light source. To make the figure smaller, bring it close to the screen. To make it grow in size, place it further away. It is better to secure the scenery close to the screen with tape or bent paper clips so that they do not move during the performance, and little directors will have an extra pair of hands.

6. If the children like the home theater, make a real curtain, tickets and programs. During the performance, you can arrange a real intermission with an impromptu buffet.

5. Start with a small number of characters - two or three are enough for the first time. With practice, you can easily move on to more complex performances.

6. To make the performance “colorful,” use colored light bulbs or filters that can be attached to the lamp. For night scenes - a blue filter, for morning scenes - a red one, and so on.

7. The figures can be made movable by wrapping their arms, legs, wings and tails with soft wire. Instead of sticks that hold characters up, use regular drinking straws.

Do-it-yourself shadow theater in kindergarten

Do-it-yourself shadow theater. Master class with step-by-step photos

Master Class. Making a manual with your own hands

Lesson topic: Master Class. shadow theater
Author: Sukhovetskaya Oksana Aleksandrovna, teacher of the speech therapy group of the Child Development Center - kindergarten No. 300 “Ryabinushka”, Novosibirsk.

Description of material: In this master class you will learn how to make a shadow theater. Shadow theater will help children get acquainted with the theater in a fun way, show their imagination, and develop speech activity. This methodological guide will be useful for children of primary and senior preschool age, as well as for school-age children, teachers and parents. The manual can be used both in individual work and in group work. A master class will help prepare this manual.

Material: to create a theater we need:
- the screen is ready-made (or you can make it yourself, I won’t dwell on this in detail);
- fabric: white (you can use tracing paper), colored backstage;
- threads to match the fabric;
- Wilcro tape (linden)
- cocktail straws;
- barbecue sticks (large);
- holniten (rivets);
- fastenings for electrical wires;
- sewing hooks.

Tools for work:
- hammer;
- nails;
- stationery knife (cutter);
- hole punch for belt;
- scissors;
- press for eyelets;
- awl;
- glue gun;
- ruler;
- pencil pen;
- super glue “Moment”;
- sewing machine.
The result of the master class helps:
Stimulate children and their initiative in theatrical activities.
Develop imagination, creative abilities, develop the articulatory apparatus. To form in children a persistent interest in theatrical activities, a desire to participate in a common action, to encourage children to actively interact and communicate, teaches them to be able to communicate with peers and adults in various situations, to develop speech and the ability to actively build dialogue. Develop play behavior, aesthetic feelings, and the ability to be creative in any task.

“The theater is a magical world.
He gives lessons in beauty, morality
and morality.
And the richer they are, the more successful they are.
the spiritual world is developing
children..."
(B.M. Teplov)

"Magic Land!" - this is what the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin once called the theater. The feelings of the great poet are shared by both adults and children who have come into contact with this amazing form of art.

A special role belongs to the theater in solving problems related to the upbringing and development of a preschool child. Through theatrical and playful creativity, we can develop children’s emotional responsiveness, intellectuality, and develop children’s communication skills, artistry, and speech activity.

In the daily life of a kindergarten, teachers use various types of theaters: bibabo, finger theater, tabletop, planar (flannelgraph or magnetic board), puppet theater, book theater, mask theater, etc.

I want to tell and show how to make a complex and at the same time very interesting shadow theater.

Shadow theater is an ancient theatre. Since time immemorial, shadow paintings have been shown in India, China, Java and Turkey on the street at night under the light of an oil lamp.

Props, which is required for this theater: a light source (for example, a headlamp, a table lamp, a filmoscope), a screen with a white screen, silhouette puppets on sticks.

At the first stage of work, to make silhouettes, we need the following: a stationery knife (cutter), scissors, a hole punch for a belt, a press for eyelets, rivets (rivets)

Silhouettes can be prepared on the computer or drawn yourself. I found ideas for silhouettes on the Internet, printed them on regular A4 sheets

Then we paste the printed silhouettes onto black paper. I immediately prepared silhouettes of the characters and scenery.

Now these silhouettes need to be cut out. We cut out small internal details using a stationery knife, and cut out the silhouettes themselves with scissors.

To prevent the silhouettes from bending, I laminated them. If this is not possible, you can use thick cardboard to stiffen the figures.

The next step is to cut out the already laminated double-sided silhouettes.

Since I really wanted the characters (silhouettes) to have movable elements (for example, they could walk), I made separate elements for the silhouettes: arms, paws, legs.
To set them in motion, the parts must be fastened in a certain way. Both wire and threads with knots at the ends are suitable for fastening. But I wanted some grace, or something. Therefore, I connected the parts using a belt hole punch and rivets.

Using a hole punch for the belt, I punched even holes in the fastening points, choosing a diameter such that the rivets would not fly out and would move freely. Previously, in the places of fastening, I marked out points with an awl, aligning the paws so that in the future they would not warp. Then I used a grommet press to connect the rivets (this press was the right size for the rivets).

Now you need to attach the sticks to the figures, by which the puppeteers will hold them. It is important to me that the theater is compact. Therefore, my sticks will be removable. The sticks that the silhouettes will use are barbecue sticks. Wooden, round in shape.. We match these sticks to the size of corrugated cocktail tubes. It is very important that the sticks in the tubes do not dangle, but sit very tightly. And we need a glue gun to secure it.

Using scissors, cut off the part with the corrugation (accordion) from the tube, leaving 1.5 cm uncorrugated ends

Using a glue gun I will attach the tubes to the silhouettes. There are two mounting options: horizontal (with corrugation) see on the wolf; vertical (just a piece of tube 2 cm) see on a pig.

To understand in the future which fastenings will be convenient for you, insert the sticks into the tubes.

Try to move the silhouettes, play with them. In principle, I liked both mounts. At the same time, I realized for which silhouettes I would use only vertical fastening, and for which I would use horizontal fastening.

The silhouette figures are ready. Now let's do the decorations. We have already prepared the base when we glued the silhouettes of the scenery onto black paper, cut it out, laminated it and cut it out again. Now we need to strengthen the silhouettes and at the same time make a system for attaching to the screen. Glue barbecue sticks to the silhouettes on the glue gun with the pointed end down.

In order to make full use of our prepared silhouettes, we will prepare the screen. Luckily for me, our group had such a screen.

We will make the main design changes inside the screen

We need simple tools:

On the bottom strip of the window we will mark places for plastic fasteners.

We fix plastic fasteners with nails (these fasteners are usually used in electricians, for fixing wires to walls), at the same time we will try on how the decoration sticks will enter. The mounts must be fixed firmly, not loose, otherwise all of our decorations will not be positioned correctly.

We attach sewing hooks to the top strip of the window using Moment super glue. We need them to place on them such decorations as clouds, sun, moon, birds. We attach Vilcro tape (linden) under the hooks. It is better to attach it to a furniture stapler so that it does not come off.

On the bottom bar above the fastenings for decorations, we also fix the Vilcro tape.

From the outside it all even looks interesting. The versatility of the manipulations is that all these fasteners can be used not only for shadow theater, but also for performing any other puppet show.

We will attach the white screen to the Vilcro tape. We will make the screen from a piece of white calico. Using a measuring tape, measure the width and height of the window. (instead of fabric, you can use tracing paper, unfortunately, it is less reliable)

Cut out a rectangular piece and carefully trim the edges. We will sew vilcro tape on the top and bottom - its second half.

Now the screen can be placed on the screen. It will be held taut by the Vilcro tape.

Outwardly, the screen now seemed boring to me. So I decided to transform it. Curtain curtains will decorate our theater.

Let's sew a lambrequin from a narrow rectangular strip of fabric. The lambrequin will cover the top crossbar of the window.

From rectangles with processed edges you will get a curtain in two parts. Both sides can be assembled. You can make a removable fibula so that the curtain can completely cover the window or be open without obstruction.
I covered the bottom of the screen with self-adhesive film to match our curtain.

For comparison: what was and what has become

Our theater is almost ready to show the performance. All that remains is to install the necessary light and invite actors and spectators.

In order for the audience to see the performance, we will need two light sources. Regular headlamps will serve as a light source. They are safe and easy to use.

There are many options for interesting leisure activities that you can organize for kids yourself. Of course, the most interesting ones are those in which the little ones can take a direct part. These fun options include a shadow theater for children, which you can do yourself at home without much expense.

How to surprise your baby with the help of shadow?

The simplest way to play with a child is to show shadows from the hands on the wall, with which you can depict various objects, animals or people. How to make such a shadow theater with your own hands at home - various manuals on the art of creating an image will help you understand this issue. For children, do-it-yourself shadow theater templates are simple figures, examples of which are presented below:

You can make shadow figures with your hands both on the wall and on a small screen. To do this, you will need to make a rectangle out of boards and stretch translucent light fabric without a pattern onto it. It is recommended to secure it using buttons or a furniture stapler. After which the performance can begin: the screen is placed on the surface of the table or a specially prepared stand, the bottom is covered with thick fabric, the lamp is installed behind the actors, and the light is directed onto the screen. To make it more interesting for your baby, you can add various decorations and dolls to the images of the figures.

Shadow puppet theater

In order to make a shadow play with characters at home with your own hands, you will need a simple set of stationery. It includes: thick cardboard, glue, scissors, thin light sticks. To begin with, it is proposed to use puppets in productions that do not move. This will make it easier to learn this delicate skill, and creating characters will take a few hours. Figures for the shadow theater are made by hand using templates with images. You can draw them yourself, or you can use ready-made ones. Next, they are transferred to paper, cut out and assembled using glue or a stapler. Depending on what role the doll has, it can stick to the stick either from the side or from the bottom.

Making a shadow theater with your own hands from paper is not a troublesome task, but very exciting. The kids will be happy to help make dolls, and then perform everyone’s favorite fairy tales, and the visiting spectators will discuss this spectacle for a long time.

If your children love to listen to fairy tales and perform mini-plays in front of you, reading them by role, give them a magical gift - a home shadow theater. With your own hands you will create a miracle. The design will help children get acquainted with this art in a fun way. Shadow theater promotes the development of speech activity and imagination in children. It will be an excellent teaching aid for kindergarten students or children of primary school age.

A simple way to make a shadow theater with your own hands

The structure can be easily built from scrap materials. To work you will need:

black cardboard;
cereal box;
regular tape;
double sided tape;
glue;
scissors.

Take a box and cut out two windows on both sides. There should be a 2 cm wide frame around the windows.

Also cut out the shapes of trees, the silhouette of clouds, the sun, and birds from black cardboard. Now you need a sheet of white paper. Stick it all on him. Place the sheet in a cereal box. Secure it with glue. Make a 1 cm wide slot in its lower end part. It should be the entire length of the box. The paper actors will be located there.

Now you need to secure the structure. Attach a shadow theater for children with double-sided tape to the edge of a table or stool. The main thing is that there is enough space in the back for the leaders. Place a table lamp in the back, light it, and invite the audience.

You can take a much larger box and do the same thing with it. In order for the structure to have a neater appearance, it can be painted with gouache or acrylic paints. Sew some curtains for her. Shadow theater for children can be used both at home in individual lessons and in group lessons.

Figurines

Draw the outlines of the actors and scenery on the back of the black cardstock. Cut them out. Glue the tips of wooden skewers to them. Resist the temptation to make shadow theater figures in color. The black color gives contrast on the screen and the figures are quite visible. Experiment with details, for example, butterfly wings can be cut from a colored plastic folder.

Characters' limbs can be made movable. To do this, tie thin soft wire to your legs and arms and move them during your performance. You can purchase stencils for shadow theater in a store or draw the figures yourself.

For the performance to be successful, you need to follow some rules:

To create clear shadows, the light from the lamp must fall directly. Do not place the light source too close. The optimal distance is 2-3 meters from the wall.
Start playing with simple performances. To begin with, two or three characters are enough.
Remember: the theater screen must be between the audience and the light source. Be careful: do not forget that the lamp tends to heat up. The figures should be positioned between the light source and the screen.
The size of the figures during presentation depends on how far or close they are to the screen. To increase the character's size, move it further away; to reduce it, bring it closer.

Shadow theater for professionals

Having made a shadow theater with your own hands and practiced on small productions, you want to complicate the task. To do this, you can increase the number of actors. Sometimes children ask the question: “How to make a shadow theater in color?” To do this, use colored light bulbs. For example, for evening scenes - blue, for morning scenes - red, like at dawn. You can also consider musical accompaniment for the production.

Creating a script and rehearsing before production

The first stage has been completed: you have created a shadow theater with your own hands. Now we need to choose a repertoire. Choose fairy tales for performances according to the age of the children. The kids like to remake good old fairy tales in a new way. You can change heroes, add new characters. For example, from the fairy tale “Turnip” you can make a New Year’s story. For example, instead of a vegetable, forest dwellers planted a Christmas tree. They couldn't pull her out. They decorated and began to celebrate the New Year.

If you want to show the performance to friends or grandparents, then you should rehearse it several times in advance. The roles need to be learned by heart, since reading from a piece of paper in the dark will be difficult. If the kids like the game, then expand it by making a real screen, programs, and tickets. Have an intermission with real snacks.