Finger puppets are essential props for Baby Rhymetimes and Storytimes, at least I've found them to be so.
The flannel board is great for toddlers and beyond, but I find younger babies concentrate much better in storytimes if I can keep attention focused on a limited number of places, namely my face, my hands and the things I'm holding. They usually include (only at the time they are in use) - books,
- model baby &
- storytime props.
The choice of props varies from week to week my favourites being scarves, shakers, bubbles and of course, finger puppets.
Twinkle, Twinkle Star from The Puppet Company |
I have a pre-made nursery rhyme set from which I use at least one puppet every baby session, consisting of six puppets for Twinkle Twinkle (above), Baa Baa Black Sheep, Humpty Dumpty, Hickory Dickory Dock, Incy Wincy Spider and Once I caught a fish alive. The manufacturers, The Puppet Company, sell the puppets individually but no longer seem to sell the set which came with the rhymes on a card and a transparent carry case. It is still available from Amazon though and various eBay sellers.
I find finger puppets work so well with this age group.
They help to:
- hold attention
- make surprise moments
- demonstrate positioning (e.g up, down, behind etc)
- facilitate play (e.g. peek-a-boo)
- anticipate the next item (silver star = we'll sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle')
- associate words and objects (in songs, rhymes & chat)
Farm Set made from Floral Blossom’s Etsy pattern |
Check out Flannel Friday's NEW Finger Puppet Pinterest board and Storytime ABC's Blog Hop (below) for more finger puppet ideas.
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