Finger Puppets Template (Page 2 of 2) in pdf

Teacher Primary Pack 1

Bonus Resource!

Fun with Learning English

Fun with Finger Puppets

Puppet Preparation

4. Reader’s theater. Students use finger puppets to take the

parts of characters in a story the class has read. Students

Duplicate the number of puppets needed for your students

choose one to three of the most important scenes of the

and invite the children to color them. Cut out or have students

story to act out. The puppets can also be used with popular

cut out the puppets. Show how to secure ends of the finger

fables and folk tales.

puppets with tape or glue and slip them over your fingers.

(You may want to use a photocopier to enlarge a set of

5. Shopping. Students use finger puppets for shopping role-

puppets for use as a model.)

plays of different types. The puppets become shopkeepers

and customers, and the customer puppets may shop for

Learning Objectives

clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, and food.

Finger puppets are ideal ways to encourage oral communication

6. Where is it? Students take turns asking and answering

in English. They can be used with virtually any dialogue from

where the finger puppets are located, as other students hide

units in your textbook, or with original dialogues and stories

them behind, under, next to, in, on, and between objects:

created by you or your students. They engage children’s interest

(a) Where’s the frog? (b) It’s behind the red book.

and appeal equally to visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic

learners. In addition, children tend to be less nervous and

7. Lost. Students use the finger puppets to role-play asking for

self-conscious when they speak English through their puppets.

help from people on the street, in order to find a particular

Finger puppets can be used for controlled practice, for

street or building: (a) Excuse me. Where is Pine Street,

open-ended conversations, for clarification and correction of

please? (b) It’s two blocks to your left. There’s a big bank on

target vocabulary and grammar, and for review before oral

the corner. (a) Thanks.

interviews or tests.

8. Match-ups. Students circulate around the room to find the

Suggestions for Use

person/puppet who has a word with an opposite meaning,

a word with a similar meaning, the other half of a sentence,

1. Family. In pairs, students can introduce themselves as part of

or the other half of a dialogue: (a) Hi, rabbit. My word is big.

a puppet family: This is my (father). His name is (Tony). He’s

(b) Hi, frog. My word is loud. Sorry. (a) Hi, horse. My word is

a (teacher). We like to (play soccer) on weekends.

big. (c) Hi, frog. My word is small. Hooray! It’s a match!

2. Physical description. Students place several puppets (animal

9. Songs and chants. Students use the finger puppets as

or human) on their fingers. In pairs, they take turns giving

clues and guessing which puppet is being described: (a) It’s

props to accompany different songs and chants they learn

throughout the school year.

(soft). It has (long ears). It can (hop) and (run). (b) Is it

a (rabbit)?

10. Puppet problem-solvers. To review vocabulary items,

3. Cross-curricular content. In small groups, students show an

grammar points, spelling, and pronunciation, allow students

to ask you questions using finger puppets. Use a finger

animal puppet and describe its habitat, abilities, life cycle,

puppet yourself to answer their questions: (a) How do you

and so on: This is Clara the cow. She lives in a barn. Outside

say (______) in English? (b) We say (_______). Or (a) How do

the barn, she eats a lot of green grass. We get milk from

you spell (firefighter)? (b) F-i-r-e-f-i-g-h-t-e-r, firefighter.

Clara. With her milk we can make butter and cheese.

Finger Puppets Template Page 2

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