Create Cornhusk Dolls

Supplies Needed:

Cornhusks

String or Yarn

Scissors

Pail of Water

Hot Glue

These cornhusk dolls can take quite some time so be sure to prepare accordingly.

In some Native American traditions, making cornhusk dolls and doing corn dances were a way to give thanks and celebrate harvest time.

Have your child place the cornhusks in the pail of water until they are very soft and easy to bend. Separate the husks. (Each doll requires 10-15 husks to complete.)

Begin with four husks approximately the same size and lay them on top of one another. With your yarn, help your child tie the pointy ends of the husks together to close the top and bottom. This is the body of your doll.

Take two husks in each hand and fold them over the yarn so the string is inside. The fold is the top of the doll’s head. Pull a string around the husks and tie to make the head.

Take another husk and smooth it flat, cut the pointed end straight with a scissors. Roll the husk into a tight tube to make the arm. Do this again for the other arm. Tie each end of the arm tube with string. Put the tube between the body right below the head. Tie a piece of string around the body right below the arms to hold them in place.

Wrap another husk around the back of the neck and crisscross it around the chest to make shoulders. Tie it around the waist to stay on the doll. To make legs, separate the body husks into two equal parts below the waist. Tie each section at the ankle to complete.

These dolls are meant to have no face. Hair for your doll can be made with additional husks, yarn, silk, or twine and added with hot glue. Remember to make clothing for your doll today or on a day this week when you need to engage your child in an extra activity.