• Using cardstock, make a template from my master.
• Children trace it onto a lunch bag and cut out a head and ears for their reindeer.
• These can be pre-cut for younger students.

•  Flip the lunch bag so that the bottom of the bag is showing.
• Glue the head so that it is in the middle of the bottom of the bag.
• Glue the ears at right angles in the top corner of each bag.

• If the children would like to add inner ear accents with a brown crayon, have them do it before they glue them down, so the creases of the bag don’t show through.

•  Fold a sheet of dark brown construction paper in ½.
• Trace children’s hand on top.
• A room helper can cut these out for younger children.

•  I find that any student 5 or less has a difficult time with this and usually chops off a finger or two.
• By folding the paper in half you only have to cut one time and you’ll have two “antler” handprints.

• The antlers look best with the thumbs on the inside.
• Point this “gluing fact” out to your students.
• Children glue their hand-antlers to the center top of their reindeer.

• Call students up to the glue-dot center and have them choose a color pom pom nose and a pair of eyes. (Red, brown, and black nickel-size pom poms all look great.)
• Give them glue dots and have them stick them to their reindeer.
• If they press their wiggle eye and the pom pom directly on the glue dot and then remove them, I find that this works well.

• Students carefully insert their hand and arm into their puppet and manipulate the head.
• Have students use their puppet when you read them a December story that has reindeer as characters.

Click on the link to view/print a copy of the reindeer lunch bag puppet

 How to use the reindeer puppets:

• Line up 10 students and sing 10 Little Reindeer to the tune of 10 Little Indians.
• Sing Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer.

•  10 In The Bed is also fun. Have ten children with puppets held above their heads, lie on the floor and roll off the “sleigh bed” one by one, til everyone has had a chance.
•  Have students count backwards and blast off to the North Pole with their reindeer.

• The Reindeer Pokey is another way to use this manipulative.
• Click on the link for a copy. Reindeer Pokey

• Have your students identify their various body parts by placing their puppet on their chest, hip, thigh etc.
• They can also show you various spatial directions with their reindeer by putting their puppet above, behind, to the left, to the right etc.

•  Naming their reindeer and then gathering in a circle where everyone gets a chance to introduce their puppet friend is also enjoyable and a great way to get quiet and shy children involved!

Be sure and pop in tomorrow to see how to make an adorable bag of reindeer noses!  The perfect little gift for your students to make, or a quick and easy gift for you to whip up and give to them!