Sometimes the activities that are the most fun happen spontaniously. Other times a little structure helps. For the times when you’re at a loss for things to do, you can entertain and educate your child by demonstrating how to make hand shadow puppets.

You can help make it a learning experience by telling your child some “fun facts” about the shadows you make. Don’t quiz your child on this information, though. The point is to stir their interest.

Dog

Hold your hand out flat with your thumb and pinkie spread away from the other fingers. Bend your index finger. You can make the dog bark by moving your pinkie. If you can wiggle just your middle finger you can also make the dog sniff.

Dogs are man’s best friend, although there are many, many different breeds of dog ranging from the tiny Chihuahua to the massive Wolfhound. Dogs are closely related to wolves. Some dogs are trained to have jobs and can be helpers to blind or disabled people or can herd other animals.

Elephant

Stretch your hand out paralell to the floor with your index and pinkie fingers pointing out and the other fingers hanging down. (You can make the elephant “talk” by wigging your thumb a little). Rest your other hand naturally on top of your wrist, slightly extending the thumb.

Elephants come from India and Africa. Their trunks are made from their nose and upper lips. They use their tunks to pick things up and are the largest land animals in the world.

Llama

Make a fist with your thumb sticking straight up. Then extend your pinkie and ring fingers, letting your ring finger rest on top of the pinkie.

Llamas come from South America where they are raised for their wool and also used as pack animals.

Eagle

Hold both hands out flat with the fingers together but the thumbs extended. Cross one hand in front of the other and overlap your thumbs.

Eagles are large predatory birds. There are many different kinds of Eagle, such as the Golden Eagle, but the Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America.

Cougar

Make a grasping motion with one hand and rest the other hand, open palm on the back of your wrist. Cock your thumb upward to make the Cougar’s ear. You may need to slightly rotate your hands relative to the light source to get it just right.

Cougars are large cats native to North America, Also called Pumas, American Panthers, or Mountain Lions. They have retractable claws and can jump nearly 16 feet straight into the air.

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