- Always make sure the child sees the puppet animated from the start and let him go back into his house still ‘alive.’ Eye contact is extremely important.
- Get the puppet to look from one child to another- the puppet appears to know what it is talking about.
- Quick glances back and forth express concern.
- Double takes back and forth express surprise.
- Not using eye contact is also very useful- if you ask the puppet something using its name and it looks at the ceiling or away, it is obvious that it’s trying to ignore you.
- Stiff head and fixed eyes in the opposite direction express anger and rejection.
- Slow glances back to you then away again express embarrassment or hurt.
- Head movement- dropping head expresses sadness and slow movements express depression or sleepiness.
- Head up for stubbornness.
- Head to one side will express anger or confusion.
- Let the puppet look at your class and then they will look at it.
- The mouth opens on the vowels and closes on the consonants or to put it another way the mouth opens and shuts once for each syllable.
- Children watch the beginning and ending of a sentence but not the middle.
- Get the synch correct and you sustain belief in the character.
- Keep the mouth open a little as this can be like a smile. Tight shut can look like a frown especially when used with quick jerky movements. Puppets do not need to move all the time.
- Always use the puppet you feel most comfortable with, relax and enjoy!
How to use puppets as an Early Years Educator.
