Frequently Asked Questions

If you have purchased a digital eBook, download the pdf file onto card stock. The pdf file may be printed with a front and back side. If you do not have a double sided printer, print the front side only.

You will need a 1/8” hole punch and mini brads to put the articulated puppet together. You can get these at a local craft store or on our web site. 

Next, chose which of the two versions of the figure you would like to make. One is already colored so you cut out all of the puppet body pieces. The other version allows your child to color the puppet before cutting out the pieces.

Cut out all of the pieces for the character. Then punch a hole at each joint with a small 1/8” hole punch. A letter key is on the back of the doll body pieces to make it easy to assemble. Match the letters together and arrange the “Front” and “Back” properly before using the mini brads to assemble the figure and make it move! 

Articulated puppets (paper dolls) are made of two or more movable sections that are attached with a fastener. The joints are at the elbows and knees, and may also be placed at the head or hip joints. They do not have attachable paper clothes, but are already colored or may be colored before assembly. After assembly, the puppet’s arms and legs move freely.

Regular paper dolls are figures of thin card stock, with separate paper clothes, held onto the dolls with folding tabs. The clothes can be added or removed. Regular paper dolls do not move at the joints.

Children who love hands-on activities, imaginative play, storytelling, and crafts! 

Children love stories. If you are a parent or educator who wants to inspire your children with an engaging hands-on history activity that is easy to use, we think they will love making a jointed puppet, and then using them to tell stories. We have seen some excited craft lovers finish all the puppets in the book right away! 😀

We had a mom purchase a book at an educational conference and the next day she told us that her child stayed up late making dinosaurs! 

Here are some ideas to supplement your history curriculum, unit study, or as a stand alone activity:

Color and assemble the figures during a history lesson, unit study, read aloud time, or just for fun.
Decorate a time line with assembled figures. The figures are 12 to 13 inches tall, so you may want to put your timeline on the wall. 
Read a biography of someone in our books (reading lists are included) then make and use the figure as a prop to narrate a short summary of his or her life.
Put on a play with historical figures interacting or make up your own stories. Use people from different time periods and try to imagine what they would say to each other.
Include figures in a lap-book project or with a written report.
Make puppets with string, craft sticks or pipe cleaners and put on a play.
Produce a stop-motion animation clip using magnets or felt on the back of the figures.

Chose either a black and white line drawing or colored historical figure and tear out the page along the perforation.

Children who like to color may use colored pencils, markers or crayons to make their own creation of the famous person.

Cut out the individual pieces and punch holes for the fasteners.

Turn the pieces over so the assembly letters are visible.

Match the letters together and insert fasteners from the front to the back. Press the prongs flat and repeat until all of the joints are fastened.

Have fun playing with the historical people! 😊

Plus a bonus: Your children will have fun while learning!

Our books are designed for children ages six through twelve. Younger and older children may also benefit from interacting with the figures in our books, depending on their abilities and interests. The pages may be laminated before cutting the pieces out, and then assembled to make the figure stronger for younger children.

Yes, Famous Figures of the Early Modern Era: Articulated Paper Dolls to Cut, Color, and Assemble has been completed and is now being printed. We expect to have the book available on our website by the end of March or early April, 2020. They will be available from other distributors several weeks later.

The Famous Figures of the Early Modern Era Coloring eBook is now available for $4.95 on our website. Download the file and print it on any type of paper you prefer. We have also included this eBook in our Coloring eBook Bundle. Get all seven of our Coloring eBooks for $18.95

Famous Figures of the Middle Ages & Renaissance: Articulated Paper Dolls to Cut, Color, and Assemble will be available on our website around October 14, 2020. This book is a combination of Famous Figures of Medieval Times and Famous Figures of the Renaissance with the addition of one extra figure (21 people). 

Yes, Famous Figures of Modern Times is in the design stage.

We are hoping to follow our Modern Times book with Famous Native American, Community Helpers, and more titles in the Footsteps of Faith series.

Figures In Motion
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Bellingham, WA 98226

Please note: We will not be able to refund items damaged during shipment.