As you know, JaNee is a curious puppet, always full of questions. What’s interesting about her queries is that they often resonate with the very questions children have. In fact, she’s picked up some of these questions directly from kids.
It often flops out before you’ve really thought about it. A child asks your puppet, “Do you have a mommy and a daddy?” and before you know it, you’ve said YES and introduced yourself as your puppet‘s mother (or father).
I do not remember his name, but I do remember the look in his eyes and his story. A story about hospitalizations and assumptions. Let me call him Tom, that’s easier to talk about. Tom visited me in my office in Elst, during the time I was running my hand puppet webshop there. His mother, on the recommendation of a friend, had called me.
When I get to work with people in courses and ask them afterward what they have learned, I am often told that they had no idea that so much is possible with a puppet, that you can use a puppet in THIS way. By “THIS way” then is meant my way
When working with a puppet, we often think of play and the technique of bringing the puppet to life. But is playing technique the most important thing when using a puppet as a tool?
How many kids do you have in your class that you wonder what’s going on in their heads? That catch your eye, that raise questions in your mind, and where you open your whole box of tricks to find out more?
The hand puppet is a wonderful tool, and should not be missing in your toolbox if you are working as a teacher, an educator, a child coach, counselor or therapist.
APRIL 29, 2022
SHARE
The hand puppet is a frequent and welcome guest within a school and plays a special role in numerous teaching methods. Many schools already have a puppet (or even several) and that puppet holds more potential and opportunity than you might think.
Using a hand puppet for child development has invaluable value. It goes beyond language development; it also has positive effects on social-emotional development and increases children’s independence.
What was your first idea when you saw your (or a) hand puppet ? Did you think of the enthusiasm with which he would be received? Or the conversations he was going to provoke?
