What you need:
- wrapping paper with characters, animals, vehicles, and so forth
- glue or tape
- scissors
- plastic or wooden spoons
What to do:
- Look at various sheets of wrapping paper with your child. Discuss which pictures might make interesting puppets or props (favorite cartoon characters, dinosaurs, cars, and so on).
- Choose some exciting items, then cut or tear them out. Use tape or glue to attach the pictures to the spoons. You can hold the puppets by the spoon handles to make them spring into action!
- Find a puppet stage — behind the couch or on a low table. Or cut a large hole in a cardboard box to make a pretend stage.
- Make the puppets talk and move, working together to create a story as you go along. Your puppets may be involved in a mystery as they look for missing cookies or a comedy where a silly puppet keeps falling down.
- Ask open-ended questions ("Where will the bear go next?") to encourage your toddler to speak and move her puppet. For even more fun, try using different voices for the different puppets.
Learning benefits:
- encourages imagination
- develops language skills
- supports fine- and gross-motor skills