There was a time
when puppets were as important in our classrooms as white boards. Something magical happened when the
little scrap of cloth or fur went on your hand – it became REAL! Puppets were a vehicle for language,
problem solving, creativity, and FUN! Last Saturday at the NJAKE Conference (New Jersey
Association for Kindergarten Educators) I met many wonderful teachers including
Jo-Ann Stamile. She reminded me
about the value of puppets with a social skills take home activity she created
from old fabric her grandmother left her.
I was intrigued and asked if I could share her idea on my blog.
You’ll quickly see
from her description how meaningful this would be for ALL children – especially
those with special needs. Through
the puppets Common Core Standards would be nurtured (speaking, answering
questions), as well as skills from the 21st Century (cooperation,
problem solving, etc.). The scenes
could easily be adapted for different age levels and situations.
Thank you for sharing, Jo-Ann! Kiss your heart,
and kiss your brain Jo-Ann!
Social Skills Puppet
Play Activity
“Puppets are multi-sensory
allowing visual, auditory, and kinetic learning. Puppets are a wonderful tool that I use in the
classroom. Puppets also foster
social interaction, communication, role-playing, imagination, story telling,
listening, and so much more.
This Puppet
Play Activity Kit goes home with every child in my classroom. Inside the kit, there will be several
puppets, along with cards for the children to act out. Each card will have a different
scenario on it to reflect the different situations that arise in our classroom.”
Jo-Ann
Stamile (Preschool Teacher, Picataway, NJ)
Note to
Parents: Start by picking a
card. Read the card to your
child. Pick out the puppets to go
along with the card. Act out the
scenario with the puppets.
You may keep the activity
home for a few days. Please put
this page, along with the puppets and the 9 activity cards back into the
container.
Thank you for
participating in my Social Skills Puppet Play Activity.
Ms. Jo-Ann
Circle Time
“Meteorologist of The Day”
The Teacher picks a popsicle stick out of
the container
to be the Meteorologist of the Day, but
it’s not
your name. How do you react?
Center Time
“Going to a Center that is full”
You want to go to another Center, but there
are
too many friends already there. How do you react?
Center Time
“Conflict”
During Center time, you are playing with a
toy. Your friend
has a toy that you really wanted. What do you do?
Arrival Time
“Greeting”
You enter into school. You are greeted by a Teacher.
The Teacher says “Good morning” to you.
What do you say?
Making Friends
“A New Friend”
A new friend has started in our
classroom. What can you do
to help this new friend feel welcome?
Someone Is Sad
“A Friend Gets Hurt”
During outside playtime, a friend falls
down right in front
of you and gets hurt. What do you do?
Turn Taking/Sharing
Both of your puppets want to play with the
same ball.
What do you do?
Clean Up Time
It’s clean up time. You have a lot of toys out.
What do you do?
Table Manners
You are sitting down having lunch. You noticed that the milk
is at the other end of the table. What do you do?