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!
