I love watching kids react to finger puppets or puppets of any kind. They barely wait a second before the puppet is on the finger or hand, and they are telling a story or role playing. Their imagination takes off and it’s a joy to see them so engaged with something that is the complete opposite to technology.
Finger puppets are more than just fun though. They are an amazing yet simple tool that help children learn, develop and build confidence, otherwise called cognitive and social development.
Here are 5 reasons why finger puppets are more than just fun.
1. Language development
Children use puppets to talk or have conversations with them. This helps them develop the ability to use complete sentences and expand their vocabulary. One study even showed that the use of puppets in a preschool enabled the children to progress from performing at Preschool-3 levels to performing at Preschool-4 levels and beyond in just three months.
Puppets are also a way for shy or reserved children to find their voice and express themselves.
Teachers or parents can also use puppets to ask children open ended questions and to have a two way conversation where the child is engaged.
2. Social & emotional development
Finger puppets can provide children a safe environment in which to express their feelings, and to explore different perspectives by adopting new personalities or characters. The role playing aspect of puppets also enable children to learn how to problem solve or navigate difficult situations or conversations. For example role playing is used as a tactic to manage bullying.
3. Improve listening skills
Using finger puppets can help children listen better – make them more interested in listening and more likely to listen and follow instructions. Better listening skills lead to better communication skills. Puppets are also a great tool for reflective listening, a communication strategy that involves both understanding the speaker and offering the idea back to the speaker. Reflective listening is not just for children! Many adults could benefit from reflective listening tactics. This video is a great summary of reflective listening techniques.
4. Physical development
Puppets help children develop their fine motor skills and also their hand eye coordination. This can have a flow on effect to other physical activity such as ball sports or racquet-based sports.
5. Encouraging creativity and imagination
Finger puppets are a wonderful way to encourage kids to be creative: telling stories, making up characters, singing songs, memorising rhymes or story sequences and so on.
At Artful Giving, we have a wide range of finger puppets available in various characters. Check them out on our website https://www.artfulgiving.com.au/finger-puppets
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