Make basic puppets with fine craftsmanship. If you're just starting out in puppet making, start with simple construction designs like basic moving-mouth puppets and even finger puppets, but showcase your artistic ability in the style of the puppets and the details in their features.
Consult puppet-making books and tutorials to learn how to make new puppet designs to expand your skills. Many patterns are available online, as well as lists of books and materials (see Resources below).
Create a group of puppets to go with a specific narrative. You can pick a well-known children's story, a television show or movie or create your own story, but make a number of puppets that can be used together and clearly match in style.
Make different types of puppets to showcase your puppet-making skills and entertain audiences with variety. Kids love to see lots of different kinds of puppets, from big, complicated puppets with lots of parts to tiny, simple puppets, so have a portfolio of many different kinds of puppets.
Contact local organizations interested in puppet shows, such as church vacation bible school programs and preschools, and see if they will commission specific puppets from you as a starting project. With commissioned work, you have a guaranteed buyer for your puppets and can often get cash ahead of time for higher quality materials.