Puppetry: A Great Way to Teach Kids Different Skills

Our past always has something special to offer us. When we turn around the pages of the past, we often come across different decisions taken that have made our present life easier. It is true that now we are forwarding our steps towards advanced modernity, but even in this era also, some of the traditional tools are still considered to be the best. One such tool is the puppet. In the process of communication, it is considered as a vital tool to communicate with a large number of people.

Different NGOs and social organizations often organize puppetry shown in the villages to make the villagers aware of a particular issue. The main reason behind the popularity of puppetry is its simplicity and large appeal to its viewers. The educationists of the present era has recognized its worth and thus using it as a vital tool in the primary classes in the teaching learning process. Puppetry is of different kinds like hand puppets, shadow puppets, finger puppet, glove puppet and rod puppets. In case of little learners, the hand puppet is the most useful because the kids can hold these easily and can act with them.

In the modern day preschools, puppetry is being introduced as a means of teaching the kids through the play way method. Researches prove that when we teach kids something by means of play, they take interest in it and also learn it keenly. This activity gives the children hands on experience and also develops their hand-eye coordination. There are multiple benefits that these puppets offer to the kids. Some of the benefits are briefly discussed below:-

• Different kids have different communication standards; some can easily get connected with others while others face a difficulty while in groups. Puppetry gives the kids a chance to vent out their feelings by means of playing with it and also gives them a chance to communicate with others
• It is a role playing activity. thus the children can learn about the different phases of life by means of it
• Sometime kids develop fear towards some objects like scary animals. In such cases, we can give them lion or crocodile puppets and can let them play with it. This will make them acquainted with these animal and thus also help them to come out of the fear
• Hand puppets help the kids to develop their creativity as it forces the kids to use their imagination. It also teaches the kids to distinguish between fantastic world and the world of reality
• Language skills are also get enhances by such kinds of activities. A puppet show always conveys a particular message. So to convey a message, you need to be a convincing communicator first. Puppetry facilitates the art of using language among the kids
• Puppetry also enhances motor skills among kids. When kids play a particular puppet, they use their small body muscles and thus also develops hand-eye coordinatio

Half the fun of putting on a hand puppet comes while planning the performance. Creating a hand puppet show as a family is a wonderful way to help kids learn to work as part of a group and strengthen family ties at the same time.