20 Ways to use a puppet
A puppet can easily become a teacher/leaders’s best helper.
A puppet could...
1. Say “Hi” to the children as they come into the room.
2. Ask them what their name is ( and teacher -you listen so that you can learn that name too)
3. Make shy little people feel welcome by being glad they came.
4. Listen to Bible verses,even help teach them.
5. Ask children to bring something from home - the food for the needy ....
6. Make a special announcement -such as Holiday program,VBS, parties.
7. Show teaching pictures. Ask questions.
8. Be in charge of review or quiz questions.
9. Check children’s work or craft and make encouraging remarks. “Looks great !” , “ You’re doing wonderful work there !”..
10. Praise the good workers. “ It really helps to have such a good listener Kevin !”
11.Teach an object lesson. (for eg., using an alarm clock to talk about God’s timing or what our lives point to.)
12. Play a special musical item on a toy trumpet or keyboard.
13. Have aspecial surprise for children - such as a Christmas or term breeak-up treat.
14. Give a book report encouraging children to read.
15. Launch a contest for attendance or memory work.
16. Tell about life in far-away lands or ancient times.
17. Hand out prizes to new-comers.
18. Take part in Bible memory work. Try to figure out as puzzle. Get children to join in.
19. Interject when telling a Bible story to ask questions which help explain details. “ Why was Jesus called the good shepherd ?”
20. Sing a song or verse of a song along with the children to add interest. Do sound effects to add to a story or song.
NOTE - Be consistent with a puppet’s character - excitable or curious or friendly or forgetful ...as this adds to the interest for the children.
Also, be careful in getting puppet to teach matters of faith . I don’t use puppets to pray or to “become believers”. I rather use the puppet to comment on what humans believe or think about faith issues. Young children actually believe that the puppet is alive and “human-like” but I think if they start praying to God this can create problems as they realise the puppets are just puppets. The exception to this would be for puppets who are in a Biblical puppet play ( as compared to the list of uses for puppets above) and identifiable as Bible characters like Moses or Paul.
(C) Don Stott Eliab.com