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The Craft Train

Crafty ideas for kids and parents

You are here: Home / Printables / Paper Pterodactyl Puppet

Paper Pterodactyl Puppet

June 23, 2022 By Kate 43 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no cost to you.

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Here is a fun and easy paper pterodactyl puppet craft for kids. The template to make this paper puppet is free!

I love puppet crafts because they provide kids with a fun activity along with a DIY toy to play with (keeping them occupied for a little bit longer, haha). 

This is perfect for dinosaur lovers, and is great when you need a low-mess, low-prep activity to keep your kiddos busy.

This printable craft was first published in 2015 and has been updated and reshared for todays audience

You might also like our paper plate dinosaurs

paper pterodactyl puppet - make paper puppet that flies on a string in the shape of a flying pterodactyl

Not long ago I made some toilet roll dinosaurs. There was a Triceratops and Diplodocus and I had planned to add to the collection with a Pterodactyl. Turns out it worked better and was easier to make from paper, which is not quite as trendy as crafting with paper rolls right now but just as much fun don’t you think?

My girls were very taken with these puppets, they named them Snowflake, Pineapple and Hearts (the green one is Hearts). Here is a quick tutorial on how you can make one at home, it won’t take long.


How to make a Paper Pterodactyl Puppet


 

You will need

  • String
  • A long craft stick or dowel rod (or any stick really)
  • A hole punch and scissors
  • Tape
  • The free printable template below printed out on heavy paper or light card stock – mine is 160gsm which is about the maximum weight that will go through my ink jet printer. Alternatively print it out on plain paper and trace the shape onto a heavier pice of card stock.

paper template to make the flying pterodactyl puppet

How to

To begin with score the fold line with a blunt knife (like a butter knife) and ruler. This might sound a bit weird and unnecessary but it gives you a really perfect, clean fold. You will find it’s really easy to fold after scoring the line and it helps for this project because the Pterodactyl balances on a single string so any unevenness might cause it to tilt off balance and not work properly.

score the fold line first

fold and cut the template

Once it’s folded cut along the black line with a pair of scissors, including the slit on the head and the extra mouth piece on the bottom of the page.

fold the wings back

Fold the wings down evenly. The mouth piece goes through the slit with half of it sticking out the top for the spike on the back of the Pterodactyl’s skull.

add the mouth

Use a hole punch to carefully make two holes over the dots marked, trying to keep them right on the fold line to keep your puppet balanced.

thread the string

Then tie the string through the two holes and onto the stick and you have your puppet!

If you find that your puppet won’t balance properly you might need to add a small piece of tape underneath on it’s belly to keep the string in place. I made about six of these and only one actually needed the tape.

paper pterodactyl puppets - make paper puppet that flies on a string in the shape of a flying pterodactyl

paper dinosaur craft idea

They were a hit at our place!

More ideas for dinosaur fans

  • Here are some hilarious printable dinosaur jokes kids will love
  • Make 12 different paper plate dinosaurs using our printable templates
  • This dinosaurs in sticky mud activity will keep preschoolers busy for hours
  • Make a dinosaur small world in a suitcase for portable fun
  • These paper roll dinosaurs are a big favourite of our readers!

paper dinosaur craft idea for kids – make a flying pterodactyl puppet on a string

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Paper roll fish recycling craft

Comments

  1. 1

    Rachel Grenfell says

    April 29, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    Thanks for this model: very fun and easy to do.

    Reply
    • 2

      Kate says

      May 1, 2016 at 4:02 am

      Glad you like it, thanks Rachel!

      Reply
  2. 3

    Mona says

    May 22, 2016 at 6:21 pm

    I love love this craft and the ease of it as well.

    Reply
  3. 4

    Talia says

    January 11, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    This is so nice and so simple! Thanks alot!

    Reply
    • 5

      Kate says

      January 11, 2017 at 7:36 pm

      You’re welcome 🙂

      Reply
  4. 6

    So jung says

    June 26, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    Very good!

    Reply
  5. 7

    Sandy says

    December 27, 2017 at 11:30 pm

    What size is it suppose to be my looks a lot smaller then yours

    Reply
    • 8

      Kate says

      January 2, 2018 at 8:47 pm

      It’s not that big. I don’t have the finished printable on hand to measure it right now but the length from the tip of it’s nose to the end of it’s body is (approx) just under 5 inches

      Reply
  6. 9

    Jaime says

    June 13, 2018 at 10:43 pm

    I cant get the template to download it wont even open up.. I’d really love to print this for my son’s upcoming birthday ..can it be emailed to me please?

    Reply
  7. 10

    Lisa // Cucicucicoo: Eco Sewing & Crafting says

    July 24, 2018 at 9:30 am

    Oh my gosh, are you KIDDING me?! Those are so awesome! I would love having a bunch of those hanging overhead! I can totally imagine them hanging over my boy’s bed! Love them! 🙂 Lisa

    Reply
  8. 11

    Emily says

    October 15, 2018 at 6:23 am

    I just made a few of these- so easy & quick to make. They turned out so cute!! Thank you so much!!

    Reply
    • 12

      Kate says

      October 15, 2018 at 10:34 am

      That’s fantastic! I’m so happy they turned out well 🙂

      Reply
  9. 13

    Ana Karoline says

    February 5, 2019 at 12:47 am

    Thank you very much! I love this craft!

    Reply
    • 14

      Kate says

      February 5, 2019 at 6:44 am

      Thank you, glad you like it 🙂

      Reply
  10. 15

    heather says

    March 11, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    Wanted to check and make sure your ok with me using this as a craft for children at my Library!

    Reply
    • 16

      Kate says

      March 12, 2019 at 11:09 am

      That will be fine, thanks for asking first 🙂

      Reply
      • 17

        Gem says

        July 31, 2019 at 6:31 pm

        Hi Kate,

        Am I ok to use this template for our free family craft morning? Its a great design!

        Reply
        • 18

          Kate says

          August 2, 2019 at 6:24 am

          That will be fine, thank you for asking

          Reply
  11. 19

    Alicia Cheng says

    March 29, 2019 at 3:16 pm

    Thank you for sharing your idea. I love them so much.

    Reply
    • 20

      Kate says

      April 2, 2019 at 2:26 pm

      Thanks so much Alicia, Im glad you like them

      Reply
  12. 21

    Gisela says

    July 12, 2019 at 7:49 am

    Muchas gracias Kate, genial el terodactilo!! mi hija fascinada!!

    Reply
  13. 22

    Destany says

    July 4, 2020 at 7:27 am

    I’d really like this template! Thank you.

    Reply
    • 23

      Kate says

      July 5, 2020 at 8:16 am

      Hi Destany, you need to enter your details into the space provided and the template will be sent to you

      Reply
  14. 24

    Raven says

    July 8, 2020 at 12:55 am

    Wonderful craft for Dino week! Thank you!

    Reply
  15. 25

    molly says

    August 31, 2020 at 4:53 am

    Hello, I was wondering if you had an SVG or other Cricut approved file for this pterodactyl template! thank you!

    Reply
    • 26

      Kate says

      August 31, 2020 at 6:11 am

      Sorry, we don’t

      Reply
  16. 27

    Robin Miller says

    September 3, 2020 at 5:57 am

    I requested the free pterodactyl puppet template and have not received it. I got the dinosaur jokes yesterday and confirmed my email address. Can you help?

    Reply
    • 28

      Kate says

      September 3, 2020 at 6:38 am

      I’ve just emailed it through to you 🙂

      Reply
  17. 29

    xiaojia says

    October 1, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    Hi there, can I have a copy of the free pterodactyl puppet template, please. Would love to use it children’s art and craft.

    Many thanks.

    Reply
    • 30

      Kate says

      October 3, 2020 at 5:47 am

      Hi, you can get the template emailed to you by entering your email address into the box provided

      Reply
  18. 31

    Pat Pioquinto says

    November 15, 2020 at 10:07 pm

    Hi! these are great ideas for crafts. Hoping to get a copy of the pterodactyl template. Thanks for the help

    Reply
    • 32

      Kate says

      November 16, 2020 at 5:47 am

      Hi, you need to enter your email address into the box provided and the template will be sent to you

      Reply
  19. 33

    annya says

    December 3, 2020 at 5:40 pm

    muchas gracias por compartir esta lindas plantillas, la verdad me encantan los dinosaurios, bendiciones que la creatividad siga fluyendo en usted, mil gracias!!!

    Reply
    • 34

      Kate says

      December 4, 2020 at 6:27 am

      Thank you so much 🙂

      Reply
  20. 35

    Isela Saldivar Lara says

    February 23, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    hOLA ME PODRIAS enviar la plantilla de títeres de pterodáctilo gratis porfavor porfavor

    Reply
    • 36

      Kate says

      February 24, 2021 at 9:36 am

      Enter your email address in the box supplied and the template will be sent to you

      Reply
  21. 37

    Tuyen says

    July 12, 2021 at 2:05 am

    Am i the only one here couldnt find the download link?

    Reply
    • 38

      Kate says

      July 14, 2021 at 12:02 pm

      A form should appear with a space to enter your email address to get the download emailed to you. I Just double-checked and tested the form, it’s working for me.

      Reply
  22. 39

    María José says

    September 29, 2021 at 12:07 am

    I’d really like template Pterodactyl Puppet! Thank you

    Reply
    • 40

      Kate says

      September 29, 2021 at 6:27 am

      Hi Maria, you need to enter your email address in the form and the template will be sent to your email address

      Reply
  23. 41

    Tati says

    January 21, 2022 at 4:38 am

    this is super mega awesome!
    My son loved it!
    Thank you!!! You saved my life today

    Reply
    • 42

      Kate says

      January 21, 2022 at 6:34 am

      That’s adorable, I’m so glad he loved it 🙂

      Reply
  24. 43

    Thais says

    July 28, 2022 at 12:38 pm

    Eu adorei, gostaria muito do molde

    Reply

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    I’m basically a big kid who never grew up and still loves to muck around with paint, glitter, glue and toilet rolls. With the crafts shared here on this website I’m hoping to give other parents and carers inspiration to get crafty with their kids at home – make our projects, or use them as a source of inspiration to spark ideas of your own. When it comes to crafting no rules apply!

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