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Integrating Puppets into Sunday School Lessons
by Denise Oliveri Kids love hands on lessons and they learn and retain more information when they are engaged in a learning activity. Puppets are perfect examples of tools you can use in your Sunday school classroom to teach your children the weekly lessons. Kids love puppets and whether you put on a puppet show for them to watch, or they make their own puppet, you can rest assured that using puppets will really bring your classroom to life. There are many advantages to using puppets in your Sunday school class. Puppets allow for freedom of creativity and presents lessons in a fun, unthreatening way. Puppets that children use will often help very shy children open up in the classroom and soon the whole class will look forward to puppet lessons. There are several ways to use puppets when you teach Sunday school. Younger kids may enjoy the puppets more than an older crowd, but older children may enjoy putting puppet shows on for the younger group. Here are some fun ideas for using puppets in your class. Make a Puppet Stage If you plan on using puppets in your classroom often, then try constructing a simple puppet stage. One way you can do this is to measure a doorway in the classroom and hang a piece of fabric on an expandable curtain rod. Cut a square out of the middle and cover the backside with a flap. You now have an easy, portable puppet stage. For small finger or stick puppets, try decorating a large box for the stage. Children will enjoy helping you decorate. Stick Puppets Stick puppets are very easy for children to make and they are versatile. Use craft sticks and glue pictures of animals or Bible friends on the stick. If you have a Bible coloring book, simply copy the pictures onto sturdy paper, let the kids color the pictures and you have an instant stick puppet that can be used for almost any Bible lesson. Sack Puppets Sack puppets are also easy to make. Give the kids scrap craft materials such as yarn or string for hair, buttons for eyes and fabric to make clothes. Children will have fun creating their very own puppet and these can be used to put on a show. Felt Puppets If you would like to make puppets to last a little bit longer, consider making your own set of felt puppets. Trace around your thumb and fingers to make an outline that resembles a mitten. Cut two layers out and sew around the outside edges. If you don't sew, then try fabric craft glue. Decorate the face and body. These are all very easy ideas for making your very own puppet stage and puppets for your Sunday school classroom. You will find that using puppets is a great way to make your classroom come to life. Denise Oliveri is the owner of Preschool Sunday School Central (http://www.psscentral.com). The site provides preschool Sunday School teachers wtih valuable resources to help with Bible lesson planning. Join our eBook Club today for a new eBook each month. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |