Guiding Play and Puppetry Experiences 21

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Key Concepts  As they develop, children pass through several stages of play.  Socio-dramatic play helps children learn different roles.  Puppets can be used as teaching aids and problem-solving tools.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Guiding Play and Puppetry Experiences  Young children love to pretend and play make-believe  Encourages experimentation and discovery  Dramatic play: a single child imitates another person or acts out a situation Dramatic play  Socio-dramatic play: several children imitate others, acting situations as a group Socio-dramatic play  Puppetry allows projection of feelingsprojection

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Stages of Play  Solitary play: known as independent play, or playing by themselves Solitary play  Parallel play: children play beside each other, but not with each other Parallel play continued

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Stages of Play  Associative play: the first social play where children interact with one another during the same activity Associative play  Cooperative play: between two or more children; socio-dramatic play happens Cooperative play  Personification: giving human traits to nonliving objects Personification

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Discuss  Discuss the stages of play.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Stages of Material Use in Play  Manipulative stage of play: the child handles props Manipulative stage of play  Functional stage of play: the child uses the prop as intended while playing with other children Functional stage of play  Imaginative stage of play: children do not need real props, they can think of substitutes Imaginative stage of play

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Socio-Dramatic Play  Role-playing is when children mimic adult roles Role-playing  Benefits of socio-dramatic play  Play themes  The teacher’s role  Scheduling  Equipment and setup for socio-dramatic play

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Benefits of Socio-Dramatic Play  Children grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally  Language concepts are developed  Try out different social roles and learn social skills

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play Themes  Play themes often focus on everyday situations the children experience  Themes change with age  Four-year-olds like to imitate monsters  Five-year-olds like folk heroes and fantasy

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Did You Know? Studies have revealed a strong connection between play and cognitive development.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. The Teacher’s Role  Teacher’s role is to act as a resource person who provides materials and space  Coaching requires you to provide children with ideas for difficult situations Coaching  By modeling, you show the children the appropriate behavior to use during their socio-dramatic playmodeling

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Scheduling  Dramatic play best when scheduled during self-selected play  Avoid scheduling too many activities  Schedule activities that complement each other

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Equipment and Setup for Socio-Dramatic Play  A prop box contains materials and equipment that encourage children to explore various rolesprop box  Costume corner  Housekeeping area  Outdoor play area

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Puppetry  Puppetry is the use of puppets in play Puppetry  Puppet figures look like animals or humans  Types of puppets  Making puppets  Puppet stage  Writing puppet stories  Working puppets  Telling a puppet story

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Types of Puppets  Hand puppets  Easiest to make  Mascot puppets  Large teaching tool  “Me” puppets  Turning child’s hand into a puppet  Nontoxic materials

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Making Puppets  Many teachers make their own hand and mascot puppets using purchased or self- designed patterns  Sewing skills are useful, because the glue method is not always durable  Puppet materials are easy to find  Limited only by imagination

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Brainstorm  Brainstorm some supply ideas for making puppets.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Puppet Stage  Stages are not always necessary  Many classrooms have lightweight, portable stages  Easy to fold and store  Large pieces of cardboard can be used  A tension rod and curtain can be placed across the door for a temporary stage

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Writing Puppets Stories  Select a theme and develop the plot  Personal experiences are good  End by resolving a conflict: two or more opposing forcesconflict

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Working Puppets  Puppets should always model proper communication skills  Three basic hand-puppet movements  Fingers move the arms and head  Wrist moves the waist  Arm is used for locomotion movements

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Telling a Puppet Story  Create the story setting  Room should set the mood  First few minutes of a puppet story set tone  Use attention-getting techniques  Sounds or music  Develop puppet voices  Use different pitches  Match the size and character of the puppets

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Discuss  Discuss the many benefits of using puppetry in play.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Glossary  associative play. The first type of social play where children interact with one another while engaging in a similar activity.  coaching. Teaching skill that provides children with ideas for difficult situations.  conflict. Two or more forces that oppose each other.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Glossary  cooperative play. Type of play in which two or more children interact with one another. At this stage socio-dramatic play begins.  dramatic play. A form of play in which a child imitates others.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Glossary  functional stage of play. Second stage of material use. During this stage, a child will use a prop as it was intended while playing with other children.  imaginative stage of play. The third and final stage of material use. Children in this stage do not need real props; they are able to think of substitutes.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Glossary  manipulative stage of play. First stage of material use; stage at which children will begin to handle props.  modeling. Showing the children the appropriate behavior to use during their socio-dramatic play.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Glossary  parallel play. A type of play in which children play by themselves but stay close by other children. All the children may be involved in similar activities, but play between and among the children does not exist.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Glossary  personification. Giving human traits to nonliving objects, such as dolls or puppets.  projection. A type of play allowing children to place feelings and emotions they feel onto another person or an object, such as a puppet. Through this play, a child may share his or her inner world.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Glossary  prop box. Box containing materials and equipment needed for certain roles in socio- dramatic play.  puppetry. Using puppets in play.  role-playing. A type of play allowing children to mimic the actions of others, such as wife, husband, mommy, daddy, doctor, or police officer.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Glossary  socio-dramatic play. Social play in which several children play together as they imitate others.  solitary play. Independent play.