Santa Paper Bag Puppet + Free Template * Moms and Crafters

Craft a Santa paper bag puppet using the free template – and he comes bearing gifts! When you’re done, go ahead and try this gnome puppet craft too. This post contains affiliate links.

Bring every kid’s favorite white-bearded dude to life with this fun Santa paper bag puppet craft! It’s so easy to make with a free template. You can even add a sack of gifts to his shoulder if you’d like!

Paper bag Santa’s head bops up and down as he says “Ho Ho Ho” (well, if you make him say that.) It’s not only a fun craft for kids to make, but parents can make it for their little ones too! I’m thinking it’s a great way to relieve the Santa nerves for kids ahead of the “real” deal.

Of course, you can add details as you’d like. If you prefer, use googly eyes for the eyes. You can cut parts from craft fur. You can even glue an actual pom pom onto the hat!

Whether you’re crafting this with the kids or as a DIY toy for them, the main thing is to have fun and celebrate these memories together!

Download the free Santa paper bag puppet template

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What you need

Colored cardstock
Pencil – to trace the template
Craft glue such as Tacky
Optional: markers to add details
Paper bag – standard lunch bag size/13 cm wide. You can use a red one if you prefer not to have to cover yours.

How to Make a Santa Paper Bag Puppet

1. Choose your colors: black, white, pink, yellow and red colored paper for your puppet. The template includes: a face, hat, hat trim and pom pom, beard, mustache, eyebrows, mittens and trim, shoes, legs, belt, and buckle. Trace the template parts onto the correct colored craft papers and cut them out.

2. Glue the shoes to the legs and glue the mitten trim to the mittens.

3. Glue the hat trim along the bottom of the hat and the pompom – the small circle – to the top tip of the hat. Thread the belt through the buckle and secure.

4. Attach the beard to the bottom of the face.

5. Glue the eyebrows and the mustache to the face.

6. Glue the assembled hat to the top of the head. Use a marker to draw simple eyes, nose, and mouth.

7. Take your paper bag so that you can measure it. Cut a bloated rectangle for Santa’s body – or you can just cover the bag straight.

8. You can cut some white trim for the body as well if you’d like to go all out. Attach the legs to the bottom.

9. Glue the assembled Santa body to one side of the paper bag, with the flat bottom of the bag on top and the opening on bottom The body should end at the flap.

10. Glue the arms to each side and attach the belt as well. If the belt is longer than your body, simply fold over the sides or trim.

11. Glue the head onto what would be the bottom of the bag if you were to use it as a bag – now the top flap. If you’d like, you can add additional fun details like a sack of gifts, or wrapped gifts in his hands.