Here’s a simple craft to make for your children who like to make up stories or do puppet shows. These sturdy toys are small enough for bringing along on roadtrips, customizable for the tastes of many different children, and open ended in the way they can be played with. They are coated with Mod Podge, so they are stiff and water resistant, though I would not give these to a child who likes to put things in their mouth. Use discretion on age appropriateness, I made these for a child less than 2, but I knew she would not mouth it. When in doubt, and up is a good rule of thumb.

To make this project you will need paper images from books and magazines, recycled cardboard from food packaging, and cardstock. You will also need a pair of sharp scissors and an x-acto knife or other craft knife. To secure the multiple layers together you will need an all purpose craft glue and Mod Podge to coat the final toy. You may also want to find some plastic toy stands (like the kind from board games) so that the dolls and toys will stand up. The instructions for assembling the craft are in the video tutorial below.