The puppet theater I purchased for my son when he was two has got to be one of the best Christmas gifts I ever bought. Six years later, he still plays with it all the time.
But, it’s big and takes up quite a bit of space in his room. If I had to do things differently, I would have considered getting a doorway curtain theater like this adorable version from Land of Nod.
It folds flat for easy storage, can be machine washed if it’s dirty, and gives you a bit more room for multiple kids to put on a puppet show at one time. It also has three handy pockets in the front for holding props or “tickets” to your child’s performance.
Based on my experience with my son and his friends, I would say that the key to a good puppet show seems to be having a lot of different puppets to pick from. Land of Nod has several nice starter sets of puppets, including the characters from Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and The Three Little Pigs.
I’d also suggest a few generic puppets, such as a monster, your child’s favorite animal, a little boy, a little girl, and adult man, and an adult woman. The more creative your child is, the more likely it will be that he or she will want to make up stories instead of sticking to the traditional fairy tales.
If your budget doesn’t allow for a ton of puppets right away, fill a box with brown paper bags, crayons, wiggle eyes, and ribbon scraps so your child can make paper bag puppets in the desired design.
What do you think of this Land of Nod puppet theater? Would your child like something like this for Christmas?
Photo credit: Land of Nod
