When the little bugger has the upper hand Forget the cane and let the puppet speak

Something happened to me, which probably happened to you too. Kryštof was totally ignoring me and he had no intention of cooperating. Grandpa and grandma were sitting at the table, the soup was getting cold and Kryštof was still running around naked and refusing to get dressed and sit down to eat. In addition, Eliška was hanging on me and refusing to let go. Kryštof was two and a half years and Eli was seven months old. At this point, explaining didn’t work, neither did promises or threats. The only thing that worked perfectly at that point was how well Kryštof was at making me angry.

Then Pinocchio looked at me from the wall and I grabbed him like I was grasping at straws. I set in motion his wooden hands and feet and started to talk using him. A miracle happened; both kids immediately reacted to him and immediately began communicating with him. Within a few seconds, Kryštof let himself be dressed and Eliška followed Pinocchio’s nose on all fours. The puppet was seen as a playfellow, which they have always known and they had no need to conspire against him, on the contrary, they wanted to earn his gratitude…. They wanted to be his best friends.

From then on I started bringing a hippo puppet every time I anticipated more difficult behaviour and he has helped me a lot. Eliška got a Clown from linden wood for her first birthday. The present of the century from my point of view.

From the expert’s point of view, the puppet is a tool for learning. In children, puppets and figurines generate happiness that comes from play, from which they are willing to accept new information, learn new things and they also have the desire to copy the puppet. According to experts a game with a puppet improves concentration, self-confidence and the ability of children to express themselves.

Author: Lenka Míkovcová

Translation: Marek Hubbell