An easy Mermaid Craft for Kids, this Mermaid Shoebox Theatre can be made with supplies you probably already have on hand. A magical craft for the little mermaid in your home!

Mermaid Shoebox Theatre Craft

The mermaid obsession runs deeeep in this house.

My daughter’s obsessions started with the Netflix series Mako Mermaids, which we based her fourth birthday party on and even made a Homemade Trident inspired by the one in the show. It’s been two years and her affinity isn’t going anywhere anytime soon – at our Disney trip last week, she asked a Fairy Godmother at the Bibbidy Boppity Boutique to turn her into a mermaid, and then promptly got into the bathtub at the hotel to see if the change had taken place!

And being a kid who loves all things craft, a mermaid craft is always an exciting proposition.

This Mermaid Shoebox Theatre is such a fun homemade toy that kids can help make – or something to surprise them with while staying on budget! I personalized our mermaids so that we could “play ourselves” in our underwater productions.

I’ve provided a free Mermaid Puppets printable which you can use one of two ways for this craft. The way we used it was to use pictures we had lying around of us and glue our own heads onto the mermaids’ bodies. Alternatively, you can use the full printable mermaid for a less personalized (but still fun and whimsical) craft.

If you don’t want to print off my Printable Mermaid Puppets, my friend Allison had this awesome idea or you could use scrapbook paper. (Just be creative with what you have on hand!)

Materials to Make a Mermaid Puppet Theatre

• ruler
• Exacto knife (just for the grown ups)
• Kebab sticks
• Glue or tape
• Scissors
• Two different shades blue cardstock or foam
• Seashells
• Pipecleaners – or other craft materials to make a sea scene
• Fairy lights (optional)
• Mermaid Shoebox Theatre Puppets Printable

How to Make a Mermaid Puppet Theater

Assemble your craft supplies and start by creating your theatre.

Use the ruler to either make guiding lines or help you cut a “viewing box” from one side of your shoebox. You should leave a 1″ perimeter all the way around the edge.

Also cut out two 1″ to 1.5″ rectangles the width of the box on the top (as shown in the video). This will be how you lower your puppets onto the “stage.”

Make your ocean background.

We cut out waves from two colors of cardstock and then glued them onto a third sheet. Trim to fit to the back of the box and then glue in place.

Decorate the rest of the “scene” with seashells, pipecleaner “seaweed, and maybe even add some fish stickers.

Securely glue these props in place, and add some fairy lights if desired.

Next, assemble your mermaids.

Either use the printable mermaids as your puppets or also print out pictures of your little mermaids.

If customizing your mermaid puppets, leave a small tab underneath each headshot and use that to glue it to the mermaid body securely.

Once dry, tape a kebab stick to the back of the mermaid puppet to serve as the puppet “strings.”

Lower your mermaid puppets into your shoebox theatre and let the show begin!

Pin this Mermaid Shoebox Theatre craft:

Grab your free printable instructions for our easy Mermaid Puppet Theatre Craft:

This whimsical mermaid puppet theatre is a fun homemade toy for the mermaid-obsessed kid, and a great summer craft using up your beach finds!

For more mermaid ideas, check out our Mermaid Tiara or our Mermaid Play Dough Kit.