One of the greatest challenges children face is finding ways to express themselves. They often turn to coloring, painting and other crafts to tell us what they are thinking. This week’s activity is a great way to let kids get creative, open up new lines of communication, and encourage them to use their words!
yellow, red, and black craft felt
scissors
hot glue, glue gun (Close supervision from an adult required.)
1. Begin by cutting out two identical U shapes from the yellow fabric. If you wish to use your child’s hand as a stencil you may. This can help you create the perfect sized puppet.
2. Cut out and line up the two yellow shapes. They should be as close to identical as possible. Set aside.
3. Create the facial features of your emoji puppet. You will need two identical heart-shaped eyes and a simple black curved mouth.
4. Assemble the puppet by placing hot glue along the edges of the yellow felt, being sure to leave the bottom portion open.
5. Press the two pieces of yellow felt together and hold in place to secure.
6. Decorate the face of your puppet when you add glue to the back of the red hearts and a black mouth. Press them to the front of the puppet.
7. Once your pieces are dry, your emoji hand puppet is ready to be slipped on and enjoyed.
For an added twist, you can try picking out different emojis to create puppets for. Let the child pick other emojis and take the opportunity to discuss the emotions they are presenting as they put the puppets together. Then let them try making up a new one! To make only a few puppets, try putting velcro on the back of the mouth/eyes instead of glue. Then you can change the emoji on a single puppet as many times as you’d like!
As I mentioned, this activity is a great way to get kids talking! Help them learn empathy by creating little skits for the puppets to act out. Having trouble with certain social situations? Explore them with the puppets and have a discussion about it afterward. Most of all, have fun!
Looking for more emotions and feelings information? Read my earlier blog post about Interoception.
As always, I’d love to hear how this activity went for you! Please take a moment to leave a comment or share a picture!
Is your child starting a new school? Check out The Special Needs School Survival Guide.
