Dragon and Puppet Shows
What Is It?
Puppet shows are done, in preparation for group activities. Puppets show and give a model of what is expected of them. Puppets also show how not to do the activity. The students then show the puppet how to do the activity correctly. A key element to these puppet shows is that the puppets are not perfect.They are human. Sometimes they don't know how to do something or they are shy and afraid or they get 'carried away'. We can treat them kindly and help to correct the behavior. Also they are shown the actual consequences of various behaviors. Our puppet shows use engage the students attention and imagination to explore common social, emotional and behavioral challenges. Puppet shows are also done in responce to disruptive behavior that has occurred in class. If there is a misbehavior. We don't single out the child and correct them;the puppets act out the behavior and the students and the class work to develop a better response to the situation. The puppets sometimes come out after a task is done well and help to show the rules not broken. Example: The students passed a ball around the without dropping it. The puppets come out and shove it too hard for fail to pass it.
Why This Matters:
Children naturally face challenges in managing their feelings and behaviors in various situations.
They might struggle to express their needs, react intensely to expectations, or test boundaries.
As parents and caregivers, it's natural to feel frustrated by challenging behaviors.
However, when children perceive anger or frustration directed at them, they often shut down,
becoming more fearful, ashamed, or dysregulated, which can hinder their ability to learn
In this negative emotional state, children unable to effectively process information, learn new skills,
or develop healthy coping strategies.
Our program uses puppets to create a safe, engaging way for children to learn more effective responses. Puppets can act out challenging situations, demonstrating both unhelpful and helpful behaviors. This allows children to observe and critique the outcomes with more curiosity and persective and not feel personally judged.
This approach offers several key benefits:
- The puppet shows universalize common challenges, helping children see that they are not alone in their struggles. Others share their struggle
- Impersonality: Puppets present behaviors impersonally, allowing children to gain perspective on actions without feeling personally targeted.
- Safe Consequences: Children see the consequences of different behaviors in a safe, low-stakes environment.
- Emotional Understanding: It helps children understand and accept their own emotions and impulses.
- Problem-Solving: Children are encouraged to think critically about how they would respond in similar situations.
- Positive Role Models: Puppets can model effective ways to navigate challenging situations.
By using this method, students inhabit a supportive atmosphere that fosters learning and emotional growth. As children identify more appropriate responses, they are invited to practice them, often by showing the puppets "how it's done."
Deep Dive
Social emotional integration comes for connecting the feelings, impulses and urges, while also having thinking problem solving capacities switched on. Common scoldings like "stop being angry" or "don't be scared" or "this is not something to cry about" do not work because they dismiss the child's feelings and impulses and the thinking 'executive' part of the brain turn off. The student is potentially left in state of fear and shame and overwhelming emotion. or disconnection from feeling.