Lesson Idea | Puppet Play Lesson Plan - PINKALICIOUS & PETERRIFIC®

In this lesson, children exercise their creativity while expressing themselves through art and dramatic play. After watching a video excerpt from the PBS KIDS series PINKALICIOUS & PETERRIFIC®, children use common craft and recycled materials, as well as found objects, to create puppets based on characters from a picture book. They explore how to develop a puppet’s personality and then practice and perform a puppet show.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, students are introduced to puppets and the art of puppet making through the video excerpt Mr. Socko | PINKALICIOUS & PETERRIFIC®. After watching the video, students discuss how puppeteers create personalities for their puppets, just as Pinkalicious does for Mr. Socko. They make connections between puppets in a show and characters in a book before reading a picture book and discussing the elements of the story: characters, setting, and plot. Using everyday craft and recycled materials, students create puppets that represent the characters in the book. Then they adapt the book into a puppet show (using a reader’s theater format), make additional props and scenery, and practice their lines. Finally, they perform their show in front of a live audience!

For information about using the arts to help create a classroom environment that values all learners and supports their abilities, see Diversity and Inclusion in the Arts. To learn how the arts can enhance students’ cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and academic skills, see Get Smart with the Arts!

Time Allotment

Two class periods

Learning objectives

Students will:
- Find out about different types of puppets
- Explore connections between facial expressions and emotions
- Create their own puppet
- Adapt a story as a puppet show
- Participate in a puppet show

Prep for Teachers

1. Read the lesson plan, watch the Mr. Socko video excerpt, and gather the necessary supplies and materials.
2. If possible, collect a variety of puppets to share with students (finger, hand, rod, sock, or marionette). Alternatively, share images or photos of different types of puppets.
3. Choose a favorite picture book that has many characters and will be easy to perform as a puppet show. In a reader’s theater format, the teacher reads the story aloud, stopping to let the children say their lines. Consider the roles your students could take and how the book could be adapted into a reader’s theater script. (See Supplies for several picture book recommendations.) Use the text to create the play’s narration and script.
4. Decide whether additional props are needed for the puppet show. You may want to make them ahead of time or set aside class time for students to make them. (See Activity #2.)
5. Using the same materials that you will provide for students, create one or more sample puppets. Add enough detail to your puppet to inspire students.

Supplies

- Homemade or purchased puppet theater (Note: If you don’t have a puppet theater, make your own. Drape a blanket over three sides of a rectangular table to make a stage. Have students sit along the open side of the table and act out their show on the tabletop. Or, remove one side of a large cardboard box, cut a window in the opposite side, and place it on a tabletop. Students can paint it or create scenes to place inside. Check online for more ideas.)
- A picture book with many characters and simple dialog, such as:
Hattie and the Fox, by Mem Fox and Patricia Mullins
Little Blue Truck, by Alice Schertle
The Very Busy Spider, by Eric Carle

For further information, please visit PBS LearningMedia website.