Finger Puppets

Finger Puppets and Storytime

You can inject more sparkle to your storytime by adding a few finger puppets to help the story along. Not only do they add to the giggles when you use them to tell the story, they can also help the child to remember the action when he or she retells the story later on.

Children can learn many elements of storytelling, such as sequencing -- telling what happened first, next, and last -- by acting out the story with finger puppets. They can help the child understand the characters, too. 

This article will explore the uses of finger puppets and show you a few you may like. I've included the books that go along with some of these finger puppets as well.

Children feel a sense of accomplishment when they can tell a story on their own. Because a child uses all the senses when trying to remember a story and to tell it again, finger puppets can help in developing the child's memory. The puppet reminds the child what the character looks like. Using the finger puppet also involves more of the child's body in the storytelling and can make the story the child's own. 

When as the adult, you use the finger puppets during story time, too, you are modeling the way to tell a story. You can inject emotion and drama into your voice, using special voices for each character. Your story can reach such levels of hilarity that you will all soon be laughing out loud. Sounds like a fun way to bond with your children, doesn't it?

Of course, not all stories you want to tell your child will be funny. You can use finger puppets to tell other kinds of stories, too. Children will be more engaged in the story and the characters when puppets are used. And, as mentioned before, the children will have an easier time remembering the story for when they want to tell it themselves.

Telling a story to someone else is the best way I know to remember it. With a little encouragement, your child may be able to retell the story of Christmas to Grandma or to Uncle Fred or even to a baby brother or sister.

Have you ever told a story using a book with an attached finger puppet? When a child is very small, he or she may really enjoy being read this kind of book. There's just enough action to keep the toddler's interest and a curious toddler may spend time trying to figure out how to stick his or her own fingers into the puppet, too. 

Lots of variety is available in books with built-in finger puppets. The boxed set of books below is one collection of finger puppet books. You can buy any number of individual finger puppet books on the Amazon website, too.