The Very Cranky Bear: Stick Puppets is a fun activity designed to accompany a whole class reading of the picture book The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland.

This engaging puppet resource contains scenes from the text and a range of character and prop images that can be used as stick puppets. Simply print, cut out the puppets, and attach them to pop sticks. Puppets are a wonderful tool to support students’ oral retells of the story and to encourage expressive storytelling.

This resource provides a creative and interactive way for students to explore the story’s key elements, including the characters, setting, and plot. It also promotes oral language development, comprehension, and sequencing skills through play-based learning.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Retell key events of a familiar narrative
• ✅ Develop oral storytelling and language skills
• ✅ Build understanding of story structure (characters, setting, plot)
• ✅ Strengthen sequencing and expressive language skills
• ✅ Promote creative engagement with text through play-based learning

What’s Included:

• 8 character puppets and 2 prop puppets (in colour and black and white)
• 5 background scenes (in colour and black and white)

Materials Needed:

• Printed The Very Cranky Bear: Stick Puppets resource (characters, props, and backgrounds)
• Scissors and glue
• Craft sticks or pop sticks
• Optional: coloured pencils or crayons for decorating black and white versions

How to Use:

1. Read The Very Cranky Bear with your class.
2. Print and prepare the puppets and background scenes as desired.
3. Students cut out the puppets and attach them to craft sticks.
4. Encourage students to use the puppets and backgrounds to orally retell the story, focusing on sequencing and key elements.
5. Provide opportunities for students to perform retells for the class or in small groups.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during whole-class or small group oral retells of The Very Cranky Bear.
• 💡 Include in a literacy rotation to develop oral language and sequencing skills.
• 💡 Use for assessment evidence of comprehension and storytelling ability.
• 💡 Add to a literacy centre or relief folder as a no-prep, hands-on activity linked to a familiar text.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Model expressive retelling with the puppets before students begin.
• 💛 Allow students to colour and personalise their puppets for extra engagement.
• 💛 Use the background scenes to help structure retells and reinforce setting.
• 💛 Store completed puppets in a literacy centre for repeated use across the term.

The Very Cranky Bear: Stick Puppets is a flexible and engaging way to support comprehension, sequencing, and oral storytelling. It’s the perfect companion to your literacy unit on this much-loved text!

Check out more amazing resources related to The Very Cranky Bear in our The Very Cranky Bear PACKAGE.