Do-it-yourself shadow theater for children. Master class on making a universal screen and templates for the shadow theater

theatrical performance from shadow and light - an unusual and interesting activity that will appeal to all children without exception.

Fascinating preparation, creating a scene and characters with your own hands will give a good incentive to develop imagination and become one of the brightest and kindest memories of their childhood!

How to make a Shadow Theater at home? Brashechka will tell!

Preparing the stage for the Shadow Theater

We need a light source, an impromptu screen and a place where we can feel comfortable as actors :)

As a screen a piece of wide white wallpaper remaining after the repair, a white sheet, thin paper or, in extreme cases, several sheets of paper fastened to each other in a butt, are perfect.

light source an ordinary table lamp or lamp will serve - it will need to be installed behind and slightly to the side of the screen.

Important! The smaller the screen, the thinner and more transparent it should be, and the brighter the light source needed!

Now let's decide on the size of the scene.
big stage for several children or a compact version for one participant? Decide for yourself!

Option 1. Stage of the Bolshoi Theater

Is there a bunk bed? Consider the stage of the Shadow Theater is ready! Happy owners can safely take the entire first floor for the actors. It is only necessary to fix the screen on the curtain rod and press it from below with a mattress.

Less "lucky" with furniture? No problem! :)
Hang a sheet over a doorway, arrange a "house" under a desk, or simply stretch it between two chairs!

Option 2. Compact stage for one actor

A very convenient option to store and use many times.
Cons: Only suitable for puppet shows and it will take a little longer to do it.

Take an unnecessary (or make it yourself from improvised materials) large wooden frame, A4-A5 format will be just right. Stretch a thin cloth or transparent matte paper over it, secure it with small carnations and place it on a stand. The stage is ready!

A wonderful folding stage can also be made from a large cardboard box, in the form of a window with shutters. The "glass" of the window will be the screen of our theater, and the "shutters" will provide stability to the improvised stage.

An excellent lighting option for a puppet shadow theater is a headlamp! :)

Take care to securely fasten the screen canvas.
In the future, this will greatly simplify the work of small actors!

The stage is almost ready!
Let's make a curtain for her so that our Shadow Theater looks more solemn and very, very real! :)

Scenery and figures of characters for the Shadow Theater

Folding the shadows with your hands

We have all played with hand shadows on a brightly lit wall more than once.
Let's remember a few basic shapes to start with:

Click on the picture to view or print out diagrams of how to fold the shadow of a wolf, dog, goat, rooster, hare, swan, goose or piglet with your hands.

Figure out how to portray someone else!

Figures and scenery for the Shadow Theater made of cardboard

For the puppet theater of shadows, we need pre-prepared figures and scenery. You can find and download ready-made stencil pictures for the Shadow Theater, but it is much more interesting to come up with a story and draw its characters for the Shadow Theater yourself!

Ask the child who main character his stories? Is he good or evil? What happened to him? And together you will come up with a great story!

Start with a small number of characters - two or three is enough for the first time. After practicing, you can easily move on to more complex productions :)

Scenery for the Shadow Theater it is better to make from thick cardboard, which is used for packaging household appliances. We don't want our castle or a big tree to bend under its own weight?!

Characters, drawn and / or printed on plain paper, glued onto a rigid base and cut out with scissors. As a base, thin cardboard for applications is perfect.

If you plan to use the made figures for the Shadow Theater repeatedly, we recommend that you laminate them.

Mounts for scenery and characters

Mounts are needed to control the figures without casting unnecessary shadows with your own hands.

Option 1
Use small hooks made from folded paper clips as holders for large figures and decorations.

Option 2
Split the cocktail tube at one end and glue it to the figure from the wrong side.

Option 3
Attach thin wooden or plastic sticks to the figurines with duct tape.

Staple mounts (option 1) are convenient because such decorations can simply be leaned against the screen. In this case, our little actors will not have to puzzle over where to get a few more hands in addition to the ones they already have :)

Thinking of a performance in several acts and need to change the scenery? Arrange a small but real intermission! :)

Add some color to the Shadow Theater

Color spots will add even more mystery to everything that happens! :)

Method 1.
Use a colored canvas for the screen. Shadows on a color screen are visible almost the same as on a white screen.

Method 2.
Try cutting shapes out of tinted sheets of paper, for example, for drawing with pastels. The color of the paper will show through the white screen.

Finishing touch

Here we are, ready to put on a show!
It remains quite a bit - to draw invitations and send them to friends and acquaintances. And after the performance, do not forget to have a tea party with a joint discussion of the performance you have watched!

Shadow theater is an ancient, very spectacular and amazing (especially for children) art form. How to make a screen and "actors" for the shadow theater with your own hands; how to come up with and foresee the most spectacular and surprising moments of the performance; how to involve children in rehearsals and staging shadow theater performances - answers to all these questions can be easily found in the publications of this thematic section. Here is collected the live experience of teachers in the field of this type theatrical art hiding in itself great opportunities for comprehensive development children.

Shadow play. Mysterious shadows on a magical canvas.

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Hello again! Greetings to all guests on my page. I want to present to your attention a screen for shadow theater, which I made for the children of the second group early age and fairy tale shadow theater"Turnip". Target: Stimulate children and their initiative in theatrical...

Do-it-yourself shadow theater - Synopsis of GCD. Shadow theater based on the fairy tale "Bull - tar barrel" in the middle group

Publication “Synopsis of GCD. Shadow theater based on the fairy tale "Bull - tar barrel" in ... "
Purpose: the formation of children's ideas about the shadow theater, to introduce children to Russian folk tale; to develop and maintain children's interest in theatrical play Tasks: To create conditions for expanding children's interest in theatrical activities. Create a warm, welcoming...

MAAM Pictures Library

Theater begins in childhood. Shadow theater is the most unusual theatre. It originated a very long time ago ancient China. Here the roles are played not by actors or even puppets, but by the shadows of actors or puppets. A translucent white screen is used on the stage, behind which a powerful spotlight shines, and between ...

Scenario for the shadow theater "Zayushkina hut" for the senior group Scenario for the shadow theater for the fairy tale "Zayushkina's hut". Entrance To the music (children stand in a semicircle) Everything can happen in a fairy tale Our fairy tale is ahead. A fairy tale is knocking to visit us, Let's tell a fairy tale - come in! (Hares play in the clearing (exercises to the music) Storyteller Hares in the forest ...

Master class for parents "How to create a shadow theater at home" Purpose: revealing the value of joint pastime and creativity of children and parents Tasks: 1. Introduce parents to the types of theater used in kindergarten. Ways of making shadow theater and playing out. 2.Involve parents to make puppets for the shadow...

Do-it-yourself shadow theater - Shadow theater "The Magical World of a Fairy Tale"

Theatrical activity in kindergarten is the magical world of a fairy tale. Playing theater, the child reveals his creative potential. Exactly theatrical activity to a greater extent allows you to develop the creative abilities of the child. Kindergartens use different types ...

Characters: Fox Crane Narrator Narrator The fox made friends with the crane. (The heroes walk towards each other, hold hands and go to the edge of the stage) So the fox once decided to treat the crane and invited him to visit her. Fox Ah! I have long dreamed of inviting you to dinner And ...

annotation:
This amazing gamebook turns into a real one. table theater where stories are played by unusual actors - shadows.
In it you will find:
Folding shadow theater stage;
Set for cutting out silhouette images of characters and scenery for two theatrical productions inspired by the works wonderful artist Elizabeth Boehm;
Two famous fairy tales presented in the form of plays;
New interesting ideas!

Come up with your own production! Choose a fairy tale that you would like to see on stage or come up with your own own history. Divide it into several parts (scenes), think over the dialogues of the characters. Use the decorations and silhouettes from this set, or create your own. Creating new characters is not difficult at all. If you don't have black cardboard, draw on white and then just paint over the silhouette with black paint. Try to decorate your scenery or characters different materials: feathers, lace, cloth, colored tissue paper.

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

Where does shadow theater come from?

The art of shadow performances originated in Asia about 1700 years ago. It is difficult to name the exact place, but traditionally it is China, where to this day they honor beautiful legend about the emergence of the first shadow theater:

Once, one of the ancient Chinese emperors had a grief - a serious illness claimed the life of his beloved wife. The widower was inconsolable. forgetting about public affairs, he retired to his chambers, refused to talk with his relatives. Deprived of a powerful hand, a mighty empire was in danger of falling into decline.

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 the shadow of his beloved move behind a thin screen. Such performances became a nightly tradition and the emperor gradually let go of longing, because he realized that death is like this thin tissue barrier, it only temporarily separated him from his beloved, and they would 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 performances 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.

The shadow theater has come down to our times almost unchanged: the setting of light and the mobility of graceful silhouettes are the same. But if now it is easy to find and print simple stencils for home performances, then in the past, selected masters were engaged in the manufacture of dolls. They made their own hands donkey skins from which the figurines were cut. Dolls were decorated with fine painting, worked out to the smallest detail.

Puppets for the shadow theater did not differ in large growth, 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 with long rods. The play of light and shadow, the movement of silhouettes to music and a captivating story: for children and adults around the world, shadow theater remains a favorite art form. It is easy to join the beautiful by printing 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 the performance is far from the only plus of shadow stops, there are several more important for general development moments:

• The atmosphere itself, necessary for showing shadow theater, relaxes and sets you up for intimate communication. The twilight and the expectation of a certain sacrament - this is so similar to the gatherings around the fire that many people remember;
• The heroes of the productions have a conditional appearance, only the silhouette is determined. To understand complete picture what is happening, you need to use the imagination;
• Shadow theater gives the child a chance to try himself in new role, stimulates craving for self-expression and simplifies social adaptation;
• The need to memorize the plot and lines trains attention and concentration. For children, participation in shadow theater performances will become in a good way top up vocabulary, develop speech;
• Puppet control stimulates fine motor skills, teaches to coordinate hand movements.

Of course, you should not immediately demand a lot from the kids. At first, let them master the role-playing skill itself, without a plot. Let the kids play with the stenciled figurines, learn how to control and voice them. Perhaps soon the children will have favorite characters, which will give a new impetus to fantasy - it is always more interesting to come up with stories for impressing characters.

In fact, shadow theater consists of a correctly lit fabric screen and a set of figures. The screen is easy to make with your own hands:

1. Cut out a wide rectangular frame from thick cardboard;
2. Take a piece of thin white fabric, cut out a rectangle exactly the same size as the outer edges of the frame;
3. Carefully stick the fabric on the cardboard, avoiding the appearance of wrinkles. The screen must be tight. You can use regular PVA glue or Moment.

On the front side of the screen, you can attach a curtain made of dense material to open and close it, just like in a real theater. It is important that the curtain fabric slides freely, so use a smooth synthetic cord as a fastener.

Think in advance where exactly in your house it is best to place the shadow theater in order to be able to correctly set the light. The light source should be above and behind the screen, then only the silhouettes of the puppets 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 straws (can be replaced with long wooden skewers);
• Sheets of black paper;
• Glue gun;
• Scissors.

With some artistic skills you can draw your own silhouettes the right heroes, but it is much easier and faster to use ready-made stencils. You might like our selection.

So, let's start making figures:

Do not forget to take into account which side of the screen this or that character will appear in the course of the action, so that the figure is turned in the profile in the right 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 inside - 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 clarity.

Do not keep children away from preparing props - working with stencils will only warm up their interest. At the same time, tell us about the history of this unusual look art. Having made a shadow theater for children with your own hands, do not rush to throw away stencils, they will still be useful to you. Fold the blanks into a paper envelope and invite all the household members to a fascinating performance.

Good afternoon guests and readers of the blog! Today I again want to touch on the topic of how and how to lure a child at home. This topic is very close to me, because I have two children at home. that require attention and care.

In a previous article, I told you about didactic games with your favorite characters from Paw Patrol. For those who missed this episode, read here.

Today I want to offer another version of the game at home, this is a puppet theater. Of course, you can take your child to a real puppet theater, or you can create one at home.

Therefore, I will share with you some thoughts, developments to make such a miracle.

We'll need: your desire and a little free time 🙂

To be honest, we have different variants theaters, such as wood.

My kids love it very much, because it's so funny and exciting when I show them a fairy tale, and they sit and listen. Now I have an older son, he can show and tell fairy tales himself. Just think, it's very cool, because the child, while playing, learns to retell his favorite fairy tale, build a dialogue, etc.

I think that all preschool children as well as most of the younger children school age these theaters will not remain indifferent. And if you come up with fairy tales yourself with a funny plot and an intriguing end, then in general it can turn out real holiday for a child.

The easiest version of a do-it-yourself puppet theater is paper. It is easy to make your own. Well, or together with the child.

DIY paper finger puppet theater, patterns

Paper finger puppet theater, kids really like it, it lures them, and also develops fine motor skills of hands. Look here.

The first option is a flat round finger theater. You need to make the head and the upper part of the doll, dress on the finger with a paper ring or you can make cones.

Create such dolls together with your child, start with character templates. Download them on my website by writing me a comment below, I will be happy to send you templates, print and have fun playing.

After all, the finger puppet theater is a whole magic art in which children learn the world. Any child will like to be in the role of an artist, and this helps to believe in themselves and achieve success in the future. Also this good stuff for the development in children of such processes as imagination, thinking, as well as the development fine motor skills and much more.

A finger theater can be made from any materials at hand, such as paper, fabric, cardboard, corks, threads, cups, etc.

DIY desktop paper theater, templates

I show my children, here is such a desktop paper theater which I did very quickly.

We will need:

• cups from Rastishka, illustrations, ice cream sticks

Stages of work:

1. Take any illustrations and cut out all the characters in the fairy tale along the contour.

3. Glue ice cream sticks on each fairy tale character.

4. Now take the cups and make a horizontal hole at the top of each cup with a clerical knife.

5. Well, now insert the wand with the hero into the glass. Look how cute it turned out. Very easy and simple, no worse than buying in a store.

Ice cream sticks can be replaced with plastic forks or spoons.

If you do not want to take illustrations from books, then you can find characters from any fairy tales on the Internet, save them, and then print them, and then cut them out and stick them on sticks. You can download from my website such ready-made templates of heroes for such fairy tales: Kolobok, Teremok, Turnip, Bunny hut, just write a comment or review below, and I will send it to you by mail.

Paper puppet theater "Walkers"

Such a theater is very popular with young children; for such a theater, favorite characters and a couple of holes are needed.

Believe me, children will be happy to play such games.

And if you invite friends to visit, then it will be even more fun to play.

You will also receive samples of walkers of your favorite heroes to your e-mail address.

Desktop paper theater on plastic cups, corks, cubes

This option is also very easy to make, you can even draw the characters yourself or find and cut out, and then stick them on corks or cubes. Everything is ingeniously simple.

And how do you like this idea? All children love Kinder Surprise, and all of them have small containers left from them that you can pay to such a theater.

DIY glove doll

In fact, puppet theaters can be built a lot. Even at almost no cost. You just need to turn on the ingenuity and do it! You can sew for example.

And you can learn to knit and knit such cute characters:

I honestly used to knit well, now there is not enough time for all this. But I never liked sewing. But, also as an option, you can sew such a theater, who loves this business.

Although here is the simplest master for you - a class on sewing a puppet theater from fabric using gloves. Anyone can do it, even those who do not know the art of sewing.

We will need:

• household gloves, knitted - 2 pcs., buttons for the eyes - 2 pcs., threads, scissors, braid, stationery knife

Stages of work:

1. Take the first glove and steam out the thread-seam on the cuff, usually it is red or yellow color. Tuck in the little finger, thumb and forefinger so that they do not come out, sew them up. You should end up with a head with ears and a bunny neck. Sew up the bases at the ears so that the fingers do not get there.

2. Now take the next glove and hide the ring finger in it, sew up the hole. Connect the middle and index fingers together and now put the hare head on them.

3. Sew the head to the neck. To hide the seam at the neck, tie a bow or tie in the form of a butterfly. Sew on button eyes and embroider a muzzle, or you can draw with a marker. From a fluff or knitted threads, you can decorate a hare by gluing a cute cap on his head. 😯

In this way, other toys can be made, such as a dog, parsley, etc.

I have a son who generally loves such a simple glove, puts it on and goes around making up all sorts of stories with the characters 🙂

Here is such a short article turned out for today. I think who of you has small children, you are happy to diversify their leisure time. Choose any kind of theater, do it with your child. And then enjoy good mood and positive. After all, all joint work strengthens your relationship! And the child will only be happy and glad from this, and will definitely tell you: “Mommy, how I love you!” The most magical words in the world.

Well, I say goodbye to you today. See you again.

P.S. Do you know what is very important?! It is in the home puppet theater you can observe the child, his behavior. Because the baby can think of something, speak out, and we adults should still listen to what the child is talking about, what conversations he is talking about.