How To Make a Puppet Theater From a Tablecloth?

Answer 1

Few things stimulate a child’s imagination like a puppet theater. A few puppets--or even stuffed animals in a pinch--and a curtain allow a child to tell any story she can imagine. Add a friend to the mix, and they can entertain themselves for hours. This simple puppet theater made with a tablecloth and a spring tension curtain rod is a small investment that pays off in big ways.

Step 1: Buy a tablecloth for the puppet theater. Look for one with a solid color or with a subtle pattern--you don’t want the tablecloth to distract from the puppets. You may be able to find a good tablecloth at a local thrift store and save your self from paying for a new one.

Step 2: Choose a doorway to use for your puppet stage. A good doorway will have ample room on both sides. The actors need room on one side and there needs to be room for an audience on the other side. This won’t be a permanent set-up, so feel free to choose a doorway in the main area of your house if that makes the most sense.

Step 3: Measure your chosen doorway. Buy a spring tension curtain rod to fit in the doorway.

Step 4: Cut your tablecloth down the middle. If you’re using a plastic, flannel-backed tablecloth you can leave it as is. If you have a cloth tablecloth, you’ll need to hem the seams to keep them from shredding.

Step 5: Fold the top edge of each half of the tablecloth over and sew it straight across, making a pocket for the curtain rod to slide through.

Step 6: Mount the tablecloth on the curtain rod. Adjust the rod to fit into the doorway. You may want to slip a folded-over lip of paper between the rod and the door frame to protect your wood. Hang the rod at a height that allows your child to stand up to perform--she’ll be more comfortable if she doesn’t have to hunch over.

Step 7: The cut in the tablecloth, making it a two-sided curtain, allows your child to use the curtain as a stage curtain to come through herself, if she chooses.