Handmade rudolph marionettes

Christmas is right around the corner, and I honestly couldn't be more excited! I can't wait for cosy evenings snuggled up on the sofa with a hot chocolate, some yummy treats and all our favourite Christmas movies. There's just something so magical about this time of year, and of course, it's the perfect excuse to get stuck into some festive crafting!

Today we're making these adorable handmade Rudolph marionettes, and they're such a fun Christmas craft for kids! Made using simple paper cups, folded paper legs and a few basic craft supplies, these little reindeer are surprisingly easy to put together.

My favourite thing about this craft is that the fun doesn't stop once you've finished making it! With their wiggly accordion legs and strings, children can bring their little Rudolphs to life, making them dance, walk and bounce around.

They're a lovely way to spend a cosy afternoon crafting together, and the finished reindeer are just as much fun to play with as they are to make!

Start by taking one of your paper cups and colouring in the base to make the nose. We chose to make rudolph so our nose was this lovely red.

Now cut out two large antlers. Fold a small tab at the bottom of each antler, then use the tab to glue the antlers inside the cup and then bend them upwards.

Next you need to make the springs for the necks and legs. To make a spring, simply cut out two identical paper strips (we used a full length of a4 glue them together at a right angle then take turns folding them back and forwarth over each other. Once you reach the end, glue down the loose end.

Repeat the process four more times until you have five springs.

Take one of your paper springs. Glue one end of the spring onto the bottom of the reindeer's head and the other end near the base of the cup as can be seen on the image as above.

Glue the four remaining legs onto the bottom of the reindeer's body. Cut out four black oval shapes to make the reimdeer's hooves. Glue a hoof to the end of each spring