Finger puppets

Finger puppets transform children into storytellers, as well as offer a fun craft project.

 

Making their own finger puppets allows kids to:

• Develop and choose colours
• Gain manual dexterity by using scissors
• Think up character and storytelling ideas

 

Playing with the finger puppets and creating their own puppet show takes the learning even further by:

• Helping children build social skills as they learn to listen to each other and take turns
• Kids learn cooperation and acceptance of others ideas and wishes
• Emotions can be released in a healthy way as the child uses the finger puppet to express their feelings and concerns and children can practice saying what they feel through the finger puppet
• Language development is accelerated as the kids experiment with different voices and characters
• Finger puppet play helps children distinguish between fantasy and reality. They pick up a lifeless inanimate finger puppet and all of a sudden it becomes a living talking being.

 

Make your own finger puppets

• Pirate finger puppet
• Angel finger puppet
• Fairy finger puppet
• Bat finger puppet
• Jungle finger puppet

 

This article was written for Kidspot's New Zealand.