Taking a break from the more science-intensive Halloween STEM activities we’ve been doing this month, today, we played with spooky Halloween shadow puppets.
These shadow puppet templates were a fun way to bring technology to the kids’ play and the templates were super-fun to make and play with!
I got the idea for this activity when my kids made their own shadow puppets a few months ago.
My eldest made a dragon and they used pencils for the sticks to hold the puppets up.
The kids played for quite some time with their little handmade puppets.
There is something about shadows that delight kids in a slightly creepy way, which is perfect for this time of year!
If you love Halloween, don’t miss these super fun templates for shadow stick puppets that make telling spooky stories a whole lot more fun!
How to Make the Halloween Shadow Puppets Printable
Follow these directions to make your own Halloween shadow puppets!
You just need a few things for these Halloween puppets, including bamboo skewers, paper, and a printer!
You can also just use the templates as a guide for tracing if you can’t get to a printer!
What you’ll need to make Halloween Shadow Puppets:
- Shadow puppet templates printable
- Scissors
- Cardstock paper
- Printer
- Bamboo skewers
- High powered light (we used my light box lights)
- Tape
Other STEM Supplies We Love
We love these STEM supplies to use with Halloween STEM activities and throughout the year!
You’ll want to have either large plastic trays (I use this kind), a sensory table, or official STEM bins to put your activities in.
For Halloween specifically, you will probably want some Halloween figures like plastic bugs, eyeballs, or Halloween mini toys.
For the activities listed below, you’ll also want to have on hand:
- Elmer’s glue
- Liquid laundry starch
- Play dough
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Jello
- Plastic straws
- Soap coloring
- Craft supplies
- Science flasks/beakers
- Plastic jars
- Mason jars
- LEGO bricks
How to make shadow puppets with paper
First, get the printable shadow puppets templates (they’re free!).
Print them onto cardstock paper and cut them out with scissors. If you cut out the eyes, the shadows come out even better.
Tape the skewers to the back of the puppets. This will make it easier to play with them in the light.
Turn on the light and shine it on a large, blank wall. We used our dining room wall. Turn off other lights for even more drama.
Take turns telling spooky stories as you play with the puppets.
My kids had a blast with these silly little puppets.
Add a STEM Element to you Halloween shadow puppet templates
This project becomes a STEM activity when you add elements of science, technology, engineering, and math to it.
One way to transform this activity into a STEM activity is by having kids set up a stop-motion video of their puppet show, or by tracking how shadows move throughout the day by marking shadow progression every hour.
You can also experiment with distance and the angle of lights and how that changes the shadows.
There are so many fun things you can do with shadow science experiments!
More Fun Activity Ideas for Halloween
Try these Halloween STEM activities for more science fun this October!
These are some of the Halloween STEM activities my kids ask to do over and over.