My Family Puppets: Magazine Cutouts + Popsicle Sticks

Level 3 develops academic independence.

Objectives

Materials

Instructions

Materials

Magazines with diverse family pictures

Child-safe scissors

Glue sticks

Popsicle sticks (craft sticks)

Sugar paper (various colours)

Crayons or markers

A designated area for glue drying

Learning Objectives

Children will be able to identify and name different family members from magazine pictures.

Children will be able to verbally describe their own family members using descriptive words.

Children will be able to create a simple puppet representing a family member.

Children will demonstrate an understanding of the concept of "family."

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Gather the children and introduce the theme: "Today, we're going to make puppets of people in our families!"

2. Show the magazines and explain that they contain pictures of many different people, just like in the children's own families.

3. Invite children to look through the magazines and find pictures of people who might be part of a family. Encourage them to talk about who they see.

4. As children find pictures, ask them questions like, "Who do you think this is? Is this like someone in your family?"

5. Guide children to carefully cut out the pictures of people they choose to represent family members.

6. Provide sugar paper for children to glue their cutouts onto, creating a background or border.

7. Assist children in gluing a popsicle stick to the back of their sugar paper, turning their cutout into a puppet.

8. Once the glue is dry, invite children to use their puppets to tell you about their families. "Tell me about this person, who is this in your family?"

Educator Tip

Ensure there are enough safe scissors and accessible glue sticks for all children. Encourage children to share magazines and talk about the different kinds of families they see represented. Reassure children that all families are special and unique.

Assessment

Observe children as they select pictures and as they create their puppets. Listen to their conversations as they describe the people they choose and the family members they represent. Note their ability to verbally recall names or roles of family members when prompted about their puppets.

Educator tip

Use rubric; insist on justification.

Assessment

Assess against Early Learning Goals (ELGs). Document evidence of 'expected' or 'exceeding' descriptors. Note: independent application of skills, ability to explain reasoning, and capacity to build on prior learning. Rubric (1–4): narrative quality, creativity, collaboration.

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