Do you want to offer your child a new and interesting entertainment? Looking for original ideas? It’s easy enough to make a shadow theater at home with your own hands. You don't need any special equipment or materials. All tools are available. This activity will captivate the child so much that you can turn it into a creative, developmental process.

The principle of organizing the spectacle

Shadow theater is one of the most ancient. Previously, it was available only to the rich, since puppets were created from expensive materials. Subsequently, this entertainment became an exciting children's game. It’s easy to make a shadow theater at home with your own hands. You will need the following:

1. Screen made of white translucent fabric.
2. Directional lamp (regular table lamp).
3. Objects that will act as performers.
4. Decorations.

The screen is hung or placed between the audience and the light source. Figures that cast shadows are placed between the screen and the lamp. How closer heroes will be towards the light source, the larger they will become on the “stage”. It is important that your silhouettes do not appear in the rays of the flashlight, otherwise they will also be on the screen.

The objects with which the performance is performed can be figures assembled from objects made of paper and other materials, moving people. In the latter case, more space will be required to organize the theater. In the first and second options, the plane of the table is sufficient.

Your hands are the best artists (schemes)

If the child you are going to entertain is still small, it is enough to use your own palms. This is the easiest way to make a shadow theater with your own hands. Finger interlocking patterns are presented below.

First of all, you will have to practice folding your arms yourself. You can use static figures that will move along the stage. When this stage is mastered, move on to dynamic characters. Move your fingers, and the bunny's ears will move, the wolf's mouth will open, and the bird will fly, flapping its wings.

If the child was impressed by the action and wanted to try himself as a director and stage director, motivate him, inspire him, praise him for everything he will do. This is a very useful developmental activity, as it improves finger motor skills. If initially the baby doesn’t succeed, don’t be upset. Gradually he will master this technique. Then you can move on to more complex productions with puppets and scenery.

DIY main characters

When finger theater mastered, start making characters from scrap materials. You will need the following:

• paper or cardboard;
• pencil;
• knife or scissors;
• glue;
• stencils, fabric (optional).

You can make figurines in two ways:

• on sticks;
• on flat bases.

The first option is more convenient because those who will hold them can stay at a distance from them.

This is important so that shadows do not fall on the screen from the players themselves. In the second case, when the figures are rearranged, the hands of the player are visible. However, this option also provides an advantage, which is that the figures can be arranged and remain in a static state without human intervention (they do not need to be held). At this time, another character will move between the standing figures. This is convenient, for example, to build decorations (trees, houses).

If you have decided on the design of the figures, start creating their shapes. The easiest way is to cut them out of paper. Cocktail tubes are suitable as sticks. The shapes can be made solid or openwork, and you can also add fabric decor.

If you need to make many identical objects, it is easier to use stencils, that is, make one shape and then trace them the required number of times. If you have children's craft stencils or any other stencils, use them. They are convenient because they are themed, for example, based on fairy tales. With their help you can easily and quickly make all the characters. You don't need to draw the characters yourself or look for illustration samples. Nowadays it is easy to make figures by printing images on a printer and cutting them out along the contour.

Making decorations

In addition to figurines, you can make objects that will create the atmosphere of a particular location. In this case, doing a shadow theater with your own hands takes longer, but it looks more varied and interesting. It is worth remembering that children are captivated not only by the production itself, but also by participating in the preparation of the performance.

The original idea for creating the scenery and the characters themselves is presented in the photo above. Drawing characters and scenery on (a piece of paper) with black paint is the performance itself. To do this you need, of course, to be able to hold a brush in your hands. The contours of objects can be outlined with thin lines in advance.

Children want to be artists too

Children can create a shadow theater with their own hands, even without the participation of adults. You will be spectators of an impromptu performance. Hang the sheet on the frame, install the lamp. Let the children imitate different movements and imagine themselves

Performance ideas

With the help of such entertainment you can have a fun time with friends and their children. Put on a show together. If you decide to make a collective shadow theater with your own hands, the fairy tale that will be used as the basis for the script must be selected in advance. In this case, everyone will receive a task about what heroes they should make. This creative process will be very exciting and everyone will enjoy it.

You saw that it is not difficult to make a shadow theater with your own hands. All materials are available, and the process of creating a performance is as interesting as watching the action. This exciting activity will help entertain your baby at home and have fun.

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

Where does shadow theater come from?

The art of shadow performances originated in Asia approximately 1,700 years ago. It is difficult to name the exact place, but traditionally it is considered to be China, where a beautiful legend about the emergence of the first shadow theater is still revered to this day:

Once upon a time, one of the ancient Chinese emperors experienced grief - a serious illness claimed the life of his beloved wife. The widower was inconsolable. Forgetting about state affairs, he retired to his chambers and refused to talk to his family. Deprived of a powerful hand, the mighty empire risked falling into decay.

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 as the shadow of his beloved moved behind the thin screen. Such performances became an evening tradition and gradually the emperor’s melancholy left him, because he realized: death is like this thin fabric barrier, it only temporarily separated him from his beloved, and they will 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 ideas 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.

Shadow theater has survived to this day almost unchanged: the staging of light and the mobility of graceful silhouettes are still the same. But if now it is easy to find and print simple stencils for home performances, then in the past select craftsmen were engaged in making dolls. They made it with their own hands donkey skins, from which the figures were cut out. The dolls were decorated with fine paintings and worked out to the smallest detail.

The puppets for the shadow theater were not very tall; 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 using long rods. The play of light and shadow, the movement of silhouettes to music and an exciting plot: shadow theater remains a favorite form of art for children and adults all over the world. It’s easy to experience beauty by printing out 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 a performance is far from the only plus of shadow stops; there are several other important points for the overall development:

• The very atmosphere necessary for the shadow theater show is relaxing and sets the mood for intimate communication. Twilight and the expectation of some kind of sacrament - this is so similar to the gatherings around the fire that many people remember;
• The heroes of the productions have a conventional appearance, only the silhouette is determined. To understand full picture what is happening, you need to use your imagination;
• Shadow theater gives children a chance to try themselves in new role, stimulates the desire for self-expression and simplifies social adaptation;
• The need to remember the plot and lines trains attention and concentration. For children, participation in shadow theater performances will be in a good way replenish your vocabulary, develop speech;
• Controlling the dolls is stimulating fine motor skills, teaches to coordinate hand movements.

Of course, you shouldn’t demand a lot from kids right away. Let them master the skill first role playing game, no plot. Let the children have plenty of fun with the figures made from stencils, learn how to control them and voice them. Perhaps children will soon have their favorite characters, which will give a new impetus to their imagination - inventing stories for impressive characters is always more interesting.

Essentially shadow theater is a properly lit fabric screen and a set of figures. The screen is easy to make with your own hands:

1. Cut a wide rectangular frame from thick cardboard;
2. Take a piece of thin white fabric, cut out a rectangle that exactly matches the size of the outer edges of the frame;
3. Carefully glue the fabric onto the cardboard, avoiding wrinkles. The screen should be well stretched. You can use regular PVA or Moment glue.

A curtain made of thick material can be attached to the front of the screen to open and close it, just like in a real theater. It is important that the curtain material slides freely, so use a smooth synthetic cord as a fastener.

Think in advance where exactly in your home it is best to place the shadow theater so that you can set the light correctly. The lighting source should be located above and behind the screen, then only the silhouettes of the dolls 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 tubes (can be replaced with long wooden skewers);
• Sheets of black paper;
• Glue gun;
• Scissors.

Having some artistic skills, you can draw the silhouettes of the desired characters yourself, but it is much easier and faster to use ready-made stencils. You might like our selection.

So, let's start making the figures:

Don’t forget to take into account which side of the screen this or that character will appear on during the action, so that the figure’s profile is turned in the desired 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 inner side - 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 its clarity.

Don’t exclude children from preparing the props—working with stencils will only fuel their interest. At the same time, tell us about the history of this unusual looking art. Having made a shadow theater for children with your own hands, do not rush to throw away the stencils, you will still need them. Place the preparations in a paper envelope and quickly invite everyone in your household to an exciting performance.

Shadow theater is an art that originated somewhere in the ancient civilizations of India and China more than 1,700 years ago. The legend tells that the gods themselves, while walking on the Earth, saw cute dolls in the window of the workshop and decided to play with them. The figures, as if alive, began to dance, fluttering like moths, casting bizarre shadows.

The master secretly watched this magical dance. He really wanted to repeat the amazing dance. And then he attached barely noticeable threads to the dolls and gave them new life.

Let's travel back to that distant time and put on a fabulous performance, filled with shadow and light, goodness and magic.

You will need:

• cardboard box,
• parchment white,
• black cardboard,
• markers,
• scissors, stationery knife,
• adhesive tape,
• hot glue,
• barbecue sticks,
• desk lamp.

First, let's create a scene. It can be made in the shape of a window, a castle, a fairy-tale tent, and even a free-standing house. It all depends on the size of the box and your imagination.

Let's take advantage of the most simple option. Let's make a stage for the performance in the shape of a window.

1. Cut out the bottom of the box and cover it with parchment. Secure the edges of the parchment with adhesive tape.

2. Use the leftover box to make shutters. Color with markers.

Great! Half the job is done!

Here's another screen option:

Well, now, so that our stage is not empty, fill it with bright characters. And I, of course, am not talking about color (dolls can be made black). The silhouette of each hero should reflect his characteristic appearance and character traits.

3. Cut out flat figures of animals, trees, houses, and your favorite cartoon characters from cardboard.

4. Hot glue it to the BBQ stick.

5. Light the box with a table lamp and you're ready to play.

More characters - more amazing stories!

Here's what it looks like from the back:

Nowadays, classical shadow theater is in danger of disappearing. But in the 2000s, a new direction arose in this mysterious art. Instead of puppets, dancers create incredible performances on stage, captivating the audience with the flexibility of their bodies and the play of light and shadow.

I’ll add on my own that I used this model to create a theater with my grandchildren. Happiness was the carriage and the small cart!!! All five grandchildren and granddaughters, with great diligence, cut out the figures, painted them, glued them.......

And then everyone showed and watched together.

Below is a master class and ready-made templates for the most famous children's fairy tales.....

FROM THE AUTHOR: “The room is dark and only small rustles of the final preparations can be heard, when suddenly the light comes on. It rests on the screen of a white sheet. Dad last time clears his throat, and the first silhouette appears on the stage. And the fairy tale comes to life...

Shadow theater—Children immediately fall in love with the shadow theater. First, they enthusiastically watch the performances, and then begin to invent the plot themselves. Let, regardless of whether the child has directorial abilities or not, an ovation always awaits him at home.

At the same time, the baby’s imagination works at 100, because in the silhouette the child will try to guess the grandmother, the dog or the mouse. A gentle and familiar voice from behind the scenes tells a story about distant (or not so distant) countries, about children and animals, about good, evil and real magic. And all this can be done with your own hands from available materials in just 15 minutes.

You can organize a stage for a shadow theater from an old box and cut out the silhouettes of the main characters from it, turn on the lamp and the fairy tale will come to life right before your eyes. So let's get started.

1. Making a scene

At the bottom of the old box we outline a rectangle for the screen.

The outline does not have to be rectangular. The edges can be rounded and decorative patterns can be added. This will give the shadow theater box an absolutely magical look.

Cut a hole.

We paint this holey box (this step is optional, but it will look neater this way).

On the inside we glue a sheet of paper slightly larger than the hole in size.

2. Hero on a stick

We draw fairy tale characters on a sheet of paper, or better yet, print them out

5.

.

8.

9.

10.

11.

.

We cut out the characters and paste them onto cardboard of any thickness. We cut out the silhouettes and fix them on a stick. Electrical tape, glue gun or tape are suitable for this. I used electrical tape and a glue gun just to be sure)

I used skewers, but popsicle sticks, old pencil leads, or pencils also work well.

We also prepare the scenery (the environment surrounding the characters). To do this, simply cut them out of cardboard of any density. The thicker the decorations, the more difficult it will be to cut them out, and the easier it will be to fix them on the screen.

• securing decorations

You can attach strips of cardboard around the perimeter, in which it will be convenient to fix the decorations. That's it, the stage for the shadow theater is ready.

DIY shadow theater in kindergarten

DIY shadow theater. Master class with step-by-step photos

Master class. Making a manual with your own hands

Lesson topic: Master class. Shadow theater
Author: Sukhovetskaya Oksana Aleksandrovna, teacher of the speech therapy group of the Child Development Center - kindergarten No. 300 “Ryabinushka”, Novosibirsk.

Description of material: In this master class you will learn how to make a shadow theater. Shadow theater will help children get acquainted with the theater in a fun way, show their imagination, and develop speech activity. Given methodological manual will be useful for younger and older children to school age, as well as for school-age children, teachers and parents. The manual can be used both in individual work and in group work. A master class will help prepare this manual.

Material: to create a theater we will need:
- the screen is ready-made (or you can make it yourself, I won’t dwell on this in detail);
- fabric: white (tracing paper can be used), colored for the scenes;
- threads to match the fabric;
- Wilcro tape (linden)
- cocktail straws;
- barbecue sticks (large);
- holniten (rivets);
- fastenings for electrical wires;
- sewing hooks.

Tools for work:
- hammer;
- nails;
- stationery knife (cutter);
- hole punch for belt;
- scissors;
- press for eyelets;
- awl;
- glue gun;
- ruler;
- pencil/pen;
- super glue “Moment”;
- sewing machine.
The result of the master class helps:
Stimulate children and their initiative in theatrical activities.
Develop imagination, creative abilities, develop the articulatory apparatus. To form in children a strong interest in theatrical activities, a desire to participate in the general action, to encourage children to actively interact and communicate, teaches them to be able to communicate with peers and adults in different situations, develop speech and the ability to actively build dialogue. Develop play behavior, aesthetic feelings, and the ability to be creative in any task.

“The theater is a magical world.
He gives lessons in beauty, morality
and morality.
And the richer they are, the more successful they are.
development is underway spiritual world
children..."
(B.M. Teplov)

"Magic land!" - this is what the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin once called the theater. The feelings of the great poet are shared by both adults and children who have come into contact with this amazing form of art.

A special role belongs to the theater in solving problems related to the upbringing and development of a preschool child. Through theatrical and playful creativity, we can develop children’s emotional responsiveness, intellectuality, and develop children’s communication skills, artistry, and speech activity.

IN everyday life kindergarten, teachers use various types theaters: bibabo, finger theater, tabletop, planar (flannelgraph or magnetic board), puppet theater, book theater, mask theater, etc.

I want to tell and show how to make a complex and at the same time very interesting shadow theater.

Shadow theater is an ancient theater. Since time immemorial, shadow paintings have been shown in India, China, Java and Turkey on the street at night under the light of an oil lamp.

Props, which is required for this theater: a light source (for example, a headlamp, a table lamp, a filmoscope), a screen with a white screen, silhouette puppets on sticks.

At the first stage of work, to make silhouettes, we need the following: a stationery knife (cutter), scissors, a hole punch for a belt, a press for eyelets, rivets (rivets)

Silhouettes can be prepared on the computer or drawn yourself. I found ideas for silhouettes on the Internet, printed them on regular A4 sheets

Then we paste the printed silhouettes onto black paper. I immediately prepared silhouettes of the characters and scenery.

Now these silhouettes need to be cut out. We cut out small internal details using a stationery knife, and cut out the silhouettes themselves with scissors.

To prevent the silhouettes from bending, I laminated them. If this is not possible, you can use thick cardboard to stiffen the figures.

The next step is to cut out the already laminated double-sided silhouettes.

Since I really wanted the characters (silhouettes) to have movable elements (for example, they could walk), I made separate elements for the silhouettes: arms, paws, legs.
To set them in motion, the parts must be fastened in a certain way. Both wire and threads with knots at the ends are suitable for fastening. But I wanted some grace, or something. Therefore, I connected the parts using a belt hole punch and rivets.

Using a hole punch for the belt, I punched even holes in the fastening points, choosing a diameter such that the rivets would not fly out and would move freely. Previously, in the places of fastening, I marked points with an awl, aligning the paws so that in the future they would not warp. Then I used a grommet press to connect the rivets (this press was the right size for the rivets).

Now you need to attach the sticks to the figures, by which the puppeteers will hold them. It is important to me that the theater is compact. Therefore, my sticks will be removable. The sticks that the silhouettes will use are barbecue sticks. Wooden, round in shape.. We match these sticks to the size of corrugated cocktail tubes. It is very important that the sticks in the tubes do not dangle, but sit very tightly. And we need a glue gun to secure it.

Using scissors, cut off the part with the corrugation (accordion) from the tube, leaving 1.5 cm uncorrugated ends

Using a glue gun I will attach the tubes to the silhouettes. There are two mounting options: horizontal (with corrugation) see on the wolf; vertical (just a piece of tube 2 cm) see on a pig.

To understand in the future which fastenings will be convenient for you, insert the sticks into the tubes.

Try to move the silhouettes, play with them. In principle, I liked both mounts. At the same time, I realized for which silhouettes I would use only vertical fastening, and for which I would use horizontal fastening.

The silhouette figures are ready. Now let's do the decorations. We had already prepared the base when we glued the silhouettes of the scenery onto black paper, cut it out, laminated it and cut it out again. Now we need to strengthen the silhouettes and at the same time make a system for attaching to the screen. We glue barbecue sticks to the silhouettes using a glue gun with the pointed end down.

In order to fully take advantage of our prepared silhouettes, let’s prepare the screen. Luckily for me, our group had such a screen.

We will make the main design changes inside the screen

We need simple tools:

On the bottom strip of the window we will mark places for plastic fasteners.

Let's fasten the plastic fasteners with nails (these fasteners are usually used by electricians to secure wires to the walls), and at the same time we'll try on how the decoration sticks will fit in. The fasteners must be firmly fixed and not loose, otherwise all our decorations will not be positioned correctly.

We attach sewing hooks to the top strip of the window using Moment super glue. We need them to place decorations such as clouds, sun, moon, birds on them. We attach Vilcro tape (linden) under the hooks. It is better to attach it to a furniture stapler so that it does not come off.

We also attach Vilcro tape to the bottom bar above the fastenings for decorations.

From the outside it all even looks interesting. The versatility of the manipulations is that all these fasteners can be used not only for shadow theater, but also for performing any other puppet show.

We will attach the white screen to the Vilcro tape. We will make the screen from a piece of white calico. Using a measuring tape, measure the width and height of the window. (instead of fabric, you can use tracing paper, unfortunately, it is less reliable)

Cut out a rectangular piece and carefully trim the edges. We will sew vilcro tape on the top and bottom - its second half.

Now the screen can be placed on the screen. It will be held taut by the Vilcro tape.

Outwardly, the screen now seemed boring to me. So I decided to transform it. Curtain curtains will decorate our theater.

Let's sew a lambrequin from a narrow rectangular strip of fabric. The lambrequin will cover the top crossbar of the window.

From rectangles with processed edges you will get a curtain in two parts. Both sides can be assembled. You can make a removable fibula so that the curtain can completely cover the window or be open without obstruction.
I covered the bottom of the screen with self-adhesive film to match our curtain.

For comparison: what was and what has become

Our theater is almost ready to show the performance. All that remains is to install the necessary light and invite actors and spectators.

In order for the audience to see the performance, we will need two light sources. Regular headlamps will serve as a light source. They are safe and easy to use.