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Let’s celebrate an evergreen classic today – with some fun Sesame Street crafts for kids! Perfect for Sesame Street Day on 10th November! Or Elmo’s birthday on 3rd February! Or even Cookie Monster’s birthday on 2nd November!

Many childhood experiences are common among people of a certain generation. For instance, my childhood favorites and my daughter’s differ widely, and I know only millennials will understand when I talk about a CD Walkman!

So it’s incredible that there is something that has enthralled kids across generations, from Generation X all the way to Gen Alpha – yes, we’re talking about Sesame Street!

One of America’s longest-running shows and the longest-running children’s television show ever, Sesame Street has evolved over the years. Yet, its characters continue to remain classic favorites. My personal favorite is Cookie Monster, but I’m sure there are fans for Elmo, Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, and, of course, Oscar the Grouch!

How did Sesame Street begin?

After the mid-60s, nearly every home in America had a TV, and young children were watching over 25 hours of television a week. However, most of these TV programs were too violent or inappropriate for kids. This led Joan Ganz Cooney, Channel 13 producer, to wonder if there could be a TV show that entertained and educated kids at the same time. The rest is history!

The original title for the show was ‘123 Avenue B‘, but it was later changed. The word ‘Sesame‘ was chosen since the phrase ‘Open Sesame’ indicates entry to a place where magic happens – very apt!

The first episode of Sesame Street was aired on 10th November 1969, and since then, 10th November has been Sesame Street Day. As we celebrate the 55th anniversary of the show this week, let’s enjoy some fun Sesame Street crafts for kids!

15 Super Fun Sesame Street Crafts for Kids

1. Handprint Sesame Street Craft

You know how the Sesame Street characters’ faces look, but have you noticed their hands? Apparently, all the main characters have only four fingers – except Cookie Monster who has five. Well, you’ll need all of your five fingers to make this handprint craft from Simple Everyday Mom!

2. Crafty Grover Hand Puppet

Make and Takes shows us how to make a puppet based on Grover, one of the most loved characters on Sesame Street. Grover is quite the Jack of all trades, doing multiple jobs like waiting tables, driving buses, chopping wood and even being a superhero!

3. Elmo and Oscar Puppet Craft

We love these paper plate Sesame Street crafts from Frogs Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, especially Oscar the Grouch! Oscar was originally orange but was later changed to green. The explanation was that he got covered in slime at a swamp vacation!

4. Ernie and Bert Paper Plate Craft

Who doesn’t love the bickering duo from Sesame Street? Crafty Morning shows us how to make them out of plain paper plates, and the result is quite realistic! Did you know that Bert has a twin brother named Bart? Or that Ernie was #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970?

5. Paper Bag Cookie Monster Puppet

Ah, my favorite Sesame Street character – Cookie Monster! It seems his real name is Sid, but once he started eating cookies, they changed his name. He has a British cousin too, aptly named Biscuit Monster! Make your version of the Biscuit or Cookie Monster with this craft from Simple Everyday Mom.

6. Washi Tape Sesame Street Craft

If you’ve got lots of Washi tape lying around, consider using them in crafts, especially Sesame Street crafts! Happy Toddler Playtime shows us how to do this to make Sesame Street characters. By the way, Sesame Street is a real place in New York City – an intersection in Manhattan was renamed on the show’s 50th anniversary!

7. DIY Sesame Street Rice Bags

Sesame Street has played host to over 650 celebrity guests, including James Earl Jones, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Mindy Kaling, Jessica Alba, Amy Adams and even four First Ladies of the USA – Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama! Find out who else visited the show as you make this project from Glue Sticks Blog.

8. Sesame Street Paper Fans

If you ever plan a Sesame Street party, you must try these paper fan decorations from Put Me in the Story. The project features Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Elmo and Big Bird. Did you know that Big Bird is a whopping 8 feet tall? They needed almost 4000 feathers to make the suit!

9. Elmo and Cookie Monster Salt Dough Ornaments

Raising Little Superheroes has the perfect DIY ornaments to decorate your tree this Christmas – Cookie Monster and Elmo! Although he appears as a sweet, little child, Elmo has testified before the US Congress, lobbying for more funding for music education. In fact, he’s the only non-human to do so!

10. Paper Plate Count von Count

The Count on Sesame Street is no ordinary vampire; he ensures kids fall in love with numbers and counting! He has a less-known female friend, Countess von Backwards, who loves counting in reverse! Make your own count (or countess) with this craft from Cindy deRosier.

11. Sesame Street Pencil Toppers

One reason Sesame Street has been able to sustain itself through the decades is that it puts a lot of time and effort into research. Their research department discovered that kids connected best with Elmo, and also learned the most from him. Let’s put that information to good use by giving kids a little accessory to do their homework – a DIY Elmo pencil topper from PBS!

12. DIY Sesame Street Ornaments

To date, Sesame Street has won 11 Grammy Awards, almost 200 Emmy Awards and many Peabody Awards – more than any other children’s show. It is the first TV show to be recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors and Big Bird even made it to the cover of TIME magazine! You can add another honor to this – placing them on your Christmas tree! Get the instructions from Inspired Motherhood.

13. Cardboard Tube Guy Smiley

So far, all our Sesame Street crafts have been based on the muppets of Sesame Street, but this one is different – it’s based on game show host Guy Smiley. This is a fun parody character, whose real name is Bernie Liederkrantz. Well, let’s dress him up in a suit and tie – the instructions are at Cindy deRosier!

14. Sesame Street Corner Bookmarks

Sesame Street has aired over 4500 shows and this popularity extends into merchandise and books. One of the most popular books is ‘The Monster at the End of this Book‘ by Jon Stone, based on the Grover character. Whatever you’re reading right now, we’re sure these bookmarks from Red Ted Art will make it more enjoyable!

15. Sesame Street Finger Puppets Craft

Sesame Street has versions in multiple languages across the world, like Galli Galli Sim Sim in India, Baghch-e-Simsim in Afghanistan, Takalani Sesame in South Africa, Sesamstrasse in Germany and Sésamo in Latin America. These versions are often customized for local audiences; for instance, the Nigerian version of Cookie Monster eats yams instead of cookies! Try making your own version with these finger puppets from PBS!

Like its founders envisioned, Sesame Street has turned into a one-stop shop for both education and entertainment for little kids. The show even handles difficult topics like death, racism, mental health, AIDS, terrorism and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elmo went viral earlier this year when he posted on Twitter, “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The post got over 200 million views and became a huge conversation starter about mental health. We hope making these Sesame Street crafts with your kids becomes a source of happiness and calm for you too, and a way to celebrate the most wholesome show ever!