Little Voices, Big Lessons: Why Puppets Belong in Every Preschool Space

When it comes to supporting preschoolers in developing big social emotional learning skills, sometimes the simplest tools have the biggest impact. Puppets are more than just playful props—they're powerful tools for connection, communication, and confidence-building in early childhood settings.

Why Puppets Work So Well

Children often feel more comfortable talking to a puppet than to an adult or peer. Puppets create a safe emotional distance that helps little ones open up. Whether it’s a shy child who needs help finding their voice or a high-energy learner who thrives with hands-on engagement, puppets meet kids where they are—on their level.

Puppets capture attention. They speak “kid language.” And most importantly, they model the kinds of skills we want to see in our learning spaces—kindness, patience, cooperation, and problem-solving.

Social-Emotional Learning, One Puppet Chat at a Time

Puppets can gently guide children through common social-emotional challenges like:

• Taking turns during play

• Sharing materials with others

• Expressing emotions in a healthy way

• Solving problems with words

• Apologizing and making things right

  
  

Instead of correcting behavior on the spot, you can use a puppet to model what to do next time. This indirect approach helps reduce shame and gives children a chance to learn through observation and storytelling.

How to Introduce Puppets into Your Routine

You don’t need a theater stage or a professional puppet voice to make this work! Start with just a few minutes a day. Your puppet might:

• Ask for help solving a problem ("I wanted to play with the blocks, but someone else was there. What should I do?")

• Share a simple story about something that happened during play

• Role-play turn-taking or using kind words

Puppets work well in group settings, but they’re also great for one-on-one conversations with children who need a little extra support navigating social situations.

Coming Soon: Parable Play & Learn: Heartskills Curriculum

If you're ready to bring more purposeful play to your teaching toolbox, something exciting is coming your way! I’ll be sharing a puppet script, educator/parent guide, printable and classroom ready activities  you can use to introduce powerful social emotional learning lessons that will equip Saints for good works. Whether you're a teacher, parent, or child care provider, this upcoming curriculum will help you spark meaningful social-emotional conversations during playtime.

Stay tuned—your new favorite puppet activities are almost here!