Remote learning doesn’t make a lot of sense with young children, but puppets can help. They can be made out of anything on hand. They draw out children’s creativity, language and emotions. And, best of all, they turn the corporate video conference space into a children’s puppet playspace. At Teaching, Leading and Caring we have posted about how to use puppets to support early literacy and have shared resources for creating remote learning plans around puppet making.
In this video from 1969, Jim Henson demonstrates how to make puppets from everyday materials – cups, balls, envelopes, potatoes, spoons. It’s amazing how with an eye or two and a tuft of hair they assume a character in seconds.
If you are looking for more ideas about how to incorporate puppets into remote learning, reach out to our CUNY partners at Puppetry in Practice (PiP) an independent, not-for-profit organization housed in the School of Education at Brooklyn College. PiP has been engaged in making this period of distance learning developmentally and culturally responsive through the creative arts. In this Puppetry in Practice video, Dr. Smarty Pants makes a puppet of himself and falls into a bowl of popcorn.
Kids’ puppets can do silly shows for their friends too. What have you discovered about using puppets during remote learning? Share below.
This is creative and fun to put life into teaching and learning. I will definitely share with other teachers and my staff
This is great help for me
I was trying to figure out what i can do if we are still teaching 3K in the summer months.Want to make learning fun for the summer.