Educational Puppet Play Activity
In this lovely activity we get to explore the possibilities with puppets by using our imagination to create stories that are engaging, fun, and developing. When children play with puppets, they are transported to a world in which they can create things themselves. This allows them opportunities to brainstorm solutions, problem-solve, and think critically. Playing with puppets helps children experience the feelings of other characters, and, this can help develop compassion, empathy, and care in children; stories convey values and lessons that children can understand in a deep and meaningful way more easily.
As an early childhood educator with several years experience in guiding young children, I saw firsthand how supportive puppets can be for a child’s development. I am using puppets at home with my 2.5 year old daughter Raya to develop her language, empathy and teamwork skills. For this particular puppet show, I decided to use a puppet theater and asked her to sit in front so she could watch. The plot was simple: A dog and a pig were playing in the forest. The dog jumped over a big rock and hurt his leg in the process. As I started to perform this puppet show for her, Raya just jumped right in and started to participate, contributing her own ideas. I love having everyone join and engage in puppet activities and I hope you download the activity and join in on the fun, too!
Skills Developed in this activity:
Imagination and creativity
Social-emotional learning
Wisdom and the art of storytelling
Empathy and caring and thinking about others
Listening skills
Building self-esteem
Problem-solving skills
Language and communication skills
We’d love to see the smiles and fun you get with this activity! You can share them with us.
