Toys are Puppets
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Toys are puppets
This video and resource from Charlotte Allan shares five ways you can turn the toys you already own into exciting puppets!
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Eye contact
Who do you want the wee one to look at? Make eye contact with them when you’re talking, but look at the puppet when it’s talking. It’ll help give your puppet a voice and make them feel more “real”.
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Gravity
Play around with gravity. Toy birds can swoop around in the air, whereas a horse or rabbit may prefer walking on the floor. But what happens when is sucked up by an alien spaceship? Or if your rabbit suddenly learns how to fly?
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Breath
Take a moment to think about how your puppet would breathe in and out – this will affect how they speak! If you think your wee one needs some quiet time, you could take some deep breaths in and out together and use a quieter voice.
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Silly voices
When it comes to voices – go for it! We can feel a bit silly when we fully commit, but it makes it all the more exciting for our wee ones and shows them what a confident adult looks like. Your voices don’t have to make total sense: a plastic dinosaur can be a pirate, why not?
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Best friends
Maybe your puppet is a little bit shy and needs some time to feel comfortable talking to everyone – that’s okay! Have them “whisper” in your wee one’s ear and ask them what they said. It’s a great way to let the wee one take control of the play.