Preschool Lesson Plan: Storytelling with Hand Puppets
This preschool lesson plan is designed to engage young children in storytelling using hand puppets. Puppets are an entertaining and interactive method for preschoolers to build important skills in listening comprehension, oral language, and creative expression. Children use their imagination, practice social interaction, and learn a basic understanding of simple story characters, settings, and plot-by manipulating puppets and creating stories. This activity is an entertaining and dynamic learning process that allows for both individual creativity and collaborative playing.
Introduction 5 minutes
Start the session with them and show them enthusiasm to draw their attention.
- Introduce the puppet by giving them life with voice and action, one of the puppets may say for example, “Hello I am Leo the Lion and I am so excited today to meet you!
- Explain that puppets can help tell stories and make them more fun and engaging.
- Ask the children if they ever played with puppets or watched a puppet show.
Objective
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the session, children will:
- Improve listening and comprehension skills by following the story.
- Allow creativity, through the use of puppets to act out parts of the story or to make their own.
- Acquire social skills through group work and sharing of ideas.
Materials Needed
- Assorted hand puppets – animals, people, or imaginary creatures.
- A brief, simple story that fits the theme. For example, “The Lion and the Mouse” or “The Friendly Dragon”.
- A small puppet stage or storytelling area – optional, but exciting.
Procedure
Warm-up Activity: 5-7 minutes
- Introduce the children using the puppets. Each puppet must greet the children and say something interesting about themselves.
- Ask the children to wave, say hello, or even ask questions of the puppets. This would break the ice and get them comfortable.
Storytelling Session: 10-15 minutes
- Use the puppets to tell the story, assigning each puppet a different character in the story and using different voices, movements, and emotions for each.
- Encourage the children to participate in the storytelling by asking interactive questions such as:
- “What do you think Leo the Lion will do next?”
- “Why do you think the mouse wants to help the lion?”
- Use inflexions and expressions to tell the story in an exciting manner that the children will remember.
Interactive Puppet Play (10 minutes):
- Give each child a puppet and let them go one by one, each acting out parts of the story.
- Encourage creativity by allowing them to add their twists or endings to the story.
- For shy children, gently prompt them by asking simple questions like, “What would your puppet do if it was in the story?”
Creative Art Activity (Optional – 10 minutes):
- Provide crayons and paper for children to draw their favourite puppet or scene from the story.
- Allow them to share with the group and tell them why they liked that part of the story.
Assessment
Observe the children during the entire session for their interest and comprehension. Observe their:
- Ability to remember and retell parts of the story.
- Interacting with the puppets and the other children.
- Creativity in expressing their ideas, either through puppet play or art.
Closure (5 minutes)
- Close the session by having each puppet say some happy goodbyes to the children. For example, the lion puppet would say, “Thanks for listening to our story! You were all great!
- Sing a simple goodbye song with the puppets, encouraging children to join in.
- Thank the children for participating and inform them there will be more puppet stories coming their way.
Extension Activities:
- Create simple hand puppets using paper bags, socks, or other craft materials.
- Make a puppet theatre using a cardboard box or a sheet.
- Read various storybooks and, afterwards, encourage the children to act them using puppets.
Note: This lesson plan can be adjusted to align with different themes or topics. For example, you could use puppets to teach about animals, emotions, or different cultures.