First of all, we would like to invite you to review our last article, where we commented on some games you can play with your little ones during quarantine, you can find it in the following link.
The puppet show allows Recognizing and identifying emotions in children with autism, as well as being excellent for expanding their language and communication skills. Most neurotypical children naturally love to play and intuitively use their imagination at a relatively early age. We see this in normal development, most common around 3-6 years of ageA child can pick up a toy car and pretend to push it up and down the furniture; they can playfully make sounds to indicate the car's speed and engine. As the child grows more mature and develops connections to the world, they can race the car and tell us a story about who's in the car, where they're going, and other details. Children learn about their world through play and then they can develop healthy imaginations.
Children with autism often have challenges to develop imaginations and symbolic play That's why we find it ideal to be able to work on it from a very young age to give them tools to break this reality. This, in addition to communication and socialization, is an area in which creative therapies can helpBy engaging children creatively and meeting them where they are, we can highlight their own interests and help them develop this skill in a fun way. We touched on the topic of creativity and games as potential tools for developing it in one of our previous articles. You can visit it if you wish.
Making puppets is a great activity that combines art and play together! There are very simple ways to make puppets that can be executed by artists and beginners alike. There are even pre-cut fabric or paper blanks that can be used as starters from various school or art supply suppliers. There are a variety of styles such as paper bag puppets, sock puppets, finger puppets, stick puppets, or glove puppets, to name a few.
There are many different styles and ways to create puppets and it doesn't really matter which one you choose. The goal is work together and encourage the child to be creative and imaginative with the act of making the puppet and then playing afterwards.
It's always good to have a visual reference, so it can be helpful to make a sample puppet beforehand or have a picture. However, try to encourage creative changes as the child makes their own puppet. Verbal feedback is a good way to support a child's efforts.. Saying, “Oh, I like the way you used blue hair in yours instead of brown, it’s so fun and bright!” As you create the puppet with your little one, there may be opportunities to begin “pretending” by making voices or giving the puppet a name.
We recommend that you make a puppet with your child's favorite character, this will stimulate him much more and help him want to get involved with greater motivation in this activity. After the art creation, the play can begin. At first, some children on the spectrum may not join in, but instead watch the play or simply not pay attention. This is okay. You may need to play for them instead of with them at firstEventually, they may become curious and try things with the puppet. Even if it doesn't seem to make sense, follow their lead and go with it. Have fun with your little one.