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Pick a Puppet

 Are you running out of fun interactive ideas to use in class? Are you looking for a creative way to break the ice, teach your lessons and keep the class completely involved (phew!)? Then, maybe what you need to liven up your classroom are puppets. Yes, puppets!
 
While we know them in their now cute and furry form, puppets (and puppetry) originated some 30,000 years ago.  It is considered to be one of the oldest forms of communication used to convey the ideas and needs of human societies. In fact, there is evidence that string-operated puppets were used to perform the action of kneading bread as early as 2000 BC in Egypt. Here are some great reasons why you should be using puppetry in the multicultural classroom and bring this ancient form out of the realm of Punch and Judy!
 
Puppets and their role in multicultural classrooms
It is no surprise that there are many pedagogical benefits of using puppets and play in the classroom. Using puppets is a free-form of teaching that puts no pressure on the child. Instead puppets exercise a powerful influence on the child, who is not only having fun learning but is eager to ‘please’ the puppet. Using multi-cultural puppets puts children at ease with new and unfamiliar cultures.
 
A puppet is non-threatening. This allows for students to come face-to-face with situations that are unfamiliar or challenging without feeling the pressure. Moreover, taking on a role or voice helps students and teachers to explore new ideas, clarify issues and develop skills together. This increases the bonding between student and teacher in various ways. When this kind of an open environment is created, children might feel more comfortable exploring their own ideas about outside cultures.
 
Tips to creative use puppets
Here are some ways you can creatively use puppets to introduce or strengthen multicultural learning in the classroom.

1. Choose to do puppet shows once or twice during the week for an hour or so. This will ensure that your kids are excited about the puppets throughout the year. They will begin to look forward to the time when they can relax and have fun (remember, with puppets, learning is never an apparent process).

2. Pick a puppet that reflects a particular culture such as Middle East or African puppet, and ‘schedule’ its appearance for 2-3 classes. Give the puppet a name and discuss with your class to give it a personality and history. Guide your class to give the puppet a personality and history based on the culture it is from. Alternately, you can decide on all this information and encourage your class to get to know the puppet through a quiz session. Say, for example, that you have chosen a puppet from Japan, push your class to find out where the puppet was ‘born’, what the puppet’s favorite food is and so on.

3. Introduce new puppets on a regular basis. Keep the children on their toes by introducing new puppets from various cultures.

4. Play the mystery puppet game. This is a great way to involve children. Tell them that a mystery visitor is coming to the classroom. Get them to try and identify the puppet by giving them visual, aural and written clues. This engages all their faculties and they will be having so much fun they wouldn’t want to go home.

5. Employ a song and dance routine. Learn a simple song or rhyme related to the culture the puppet is from. Teach the song or rhyme to your class. Make it into a theme song that gets sung every time that puppet comes ‘on stage’. Try these fun Indian puppets with some Indian songs.

6. Transform your children into puppeteers. You will be surprised at the high student involvement that happens when you place the puppet into the hands of the children. Get them to role play using puppets from various cultures. The Multicultural Puppet & Book set of 5 or the Worldwide Set of Hand Puppets would make an ideal starter’s pack.

7. Target specific behavioural and learning issues. If a child in the classroom is exhibiting behavioural or leaning issues inappropriate for a multicultural classroom, give him or her the responsibility of helping a puppet listen and participate in sessions with other puppets. For instance, you can give the child the responsibility of helping a Native North American puppet understand certain Australian/American or English customs.
8. Get their creative juices flowing! Divide your class into groups and assign puppets to each group. Then encourage them to come up with a fun play, or song and dance etc using their puppet. This builds communication and interpersonal skills. For instance, one group, with the help of their Dutch puppet, can make a collage of popular places in Netherlands, Belgium etc.
 
Research indicates that children are more active and lively when using creative forms like puppetry in the classroom. It increases their attention and involvement, and teaching as well as learning is no longer a chore. Research and observation in this area has revealed that the puppets seem to allow children freedom to talk when they are not certain sure about things, especially about the world around them. Moreover, puppets have been used successfully in all classes across all ages. Don’t hesitate to make this ancient form a part of your modern cultural classroom.