Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Finger Puppets

There is a Chinese Proverb that goes “Tell me and I will forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand.”  Here at Spellbound, we embody this philosophy by using stories, puppets, and interactive theatrical experiences to teach children a wide range of skills from mastering language to more abstract concepts like understanding and coping with daily routine. This week, in the spirit "involving" our explorers, Storytime classes were devoted to exploring the body through art, AND to using the body as a means by which to explore art. Here are some fun ways for you and your little one can do just that at home! 

Body Story

Tell your child a story that makes frequent mention to parts of the body. Encourage and/or help them point to that body part whenever it is mentioned in the story. 

Example story:
Once upon a time, there was a princess who walked everywhere on her TOES. One day, she got an idea in her HEAD that she would go for a bike ride around her kingdom. She pulled her shoes on her FEET and wrapped her scarf around her NECK, as it was the dead of winter, and set off. She was riding along her favorite street, when her EYES fell upon the most beautiful dog she had ever seen. So distracted was she by this dog, that she forgot to look where she was going, and crashed into a street sign! She fell of her bike, skinning her ELBOW. She did not know what to do, but just when she thought all hope was lost, the dog she had seen earlier came bounding around the corner, with a bandage in his MOUTH. The princess got on her KNEES, and took the bandage in her HANDS. Together they bandaged up her scrape, and she peddled back to her castle, the sound of the dogs friendly bark ringing in her EARS.

Finger Puppets 

Not only can we tell stories about our bodies, but we can use our bodies to tell stories. 

Materials: 
your hands 
a flat surface  

Step 1: Place the tips of all five of your fingers on a table or other flat surface, and lift up your pointer finger so that it become the head of your finger puppet 
Step 2: to make your puppet walk, alternate between moving your thumb and your other three fingers forward along the surface
Step 3: Together with you child, create a story with your puppets 
Challenge: What other kinds of puppets can you and your child make using only your hands? 

Don't forget to post a picture of your finger puppets on our Facebook Page with the hashtag #spellboundfingerstories