A guide to using puppet play to help children talk about feelings and emotions.

Children love make-believe play which can teach them important social and emotional skills. Make-believe play provides opportunities to practice and enhance a multitude of important self regulation skills by preparing for and planning out a scene, negotiating between roles, and using practice skills. In this video, the puppet role play activity allows children to explore a variety of feelings within the different scenarios and learn and practice a variety of effective self-regulation strategies to help their puppets ( and themselves!) be more alert and engaged. The teacher also role models, with the aid of a puppet, how emotions and behaviours can be regulated. Adult role modeling is an effective way to help children build their own repertoire of strategies for improved self-regulation.

Another important dimension of this lesson is that children are learning how to share their internal emotional world and tune in and listen to others doing the same. This helps children to connect with one another in an empathic way, a critical factor in developing and sustaining healthy relationships.