This puppet's been sitting in our supply closet forever. Ugly orange thing someone donated years ago. Always thought puppets were dumb.
Last month I'm totally bombing this honesty lesson. Kids picking noses, staring at the ceiling. One fell asleep.
Grabbed that stupid orange puppet out of desperation. Made up some voice and asked what they thought about lying.
Every kid suddenly awake. Talking to this thing like their best friend. Telling it stuff they'd never tell me.
Realized I'm an idiot for avoiding puppets this whole time.
Kids Tell Puppets Everything
Weirdest thing. Kids share stuff with a puppet they'd never say to adults.
Orange puppet asks Jake if he's ever lied. Jake immediately confesses about breaking mom's vase and blaming the cat. Would never admit that to me.
Kids forget there's a person behind the puppet. Just see a character asking questions they want to answer.
Emma told the puppet about being scared at her new school. Sarah's daughter said she hates her little brother sometimes. Deep stuff that never comes up normally.
Puppet creates a safe space. No judgment from grown-ups.
Don't Need to Be Good At It
Thought I'd suck at puppet voices and kids would laugh at me.
Kids don't care if you're terrible.
My puppet voice sounds like Kermit with a head cold. It's awful. Kids love it.
They don't want professional quality. Just want someone willing to be silly.
Mike tried a puppet voice once—was so bad we all cracked up. Kids thought it was hilarious and begged him to do it again.
Being bad might work better than being good.
Simple Works Best
Thought I needed a fancy expensive puppet.
This orange thing is basically a sock with hair glued on. Kids love it more than any elaborate puppet.
Got more at the dollar store. Cheap animal puppets. Kids go crazy for them.
Simple works because kids use their imagination. Don't need realistic. Need characters that spark creativity.
Let Puppet Be Confused
Adults make puppets into perfect teachers. Kids relate better to confused puppets who mess up.
My puppet constantly gets Bible stories wrong. Asks kids to help figure things out.
Noah's ark story—puppet thought Noah brought dinosaurs. Kids immediately corrected it and explained why that was wrong. Way more engaged than just telling them facts.
Kids love feeling smarter than the puppet. Pay attention when they think they need to teach a confused character.
Heavy Topics Easier
Some subjects are hard to discuss directly. Puppets make it easier.
Forgiveness lesson—puppet shared about saying a mean thing to a friend. Asked if kids ever needed to apologize.
Kids opened up about fights with siblings and hurting feelings. Much deeper discussion than I'd managed before.
Puppet creates a buffer that makes difficult topics safer.
Don't Overuse
First few weeks I tried using puppets for everything. Kids got bored.
Now I save them for specific situations. When I need kids to open up. When a topic's difficult. When regular teaching isn't working.
Keep them special, not just another tool.
Let Kids Talk Direct
Don't just have the puppet talk to you. Let kids talk to the puppet.
My puppet asks questions and waits for answers. Has conversations with individual kids.
Tommy was struggling with why Jesus died. Puppet asked what he thought. They worked through it together way better than my explanation would've done.
Puppet becomes a bridge, not another lecture method.
Embrace Chaos
Kids get excited about puppets. Want to touch them, ask questions, tell stories.
Let it be messy. The learning happening is worth some chaos.
Emma brought a stuffed animal and wanted it to talk to the puppet. Other kids brought toys. Turned into a whole puppet conversation.
Not my planned lesson, but kids learned about friendship and community.
Teaching Resources That Include Puppets
Some Children's Ministry Curriculum actually builds puppet use into the lessons instead of making you figure it out yourself.
Found WHAT CAN I DO? series for preschoolers that uses puppet characters throughout to help kids explore big feelings and questions. Type of resource where the puppet isn't just an add-on but actually part of how the teaching works.
Makes it way easier when curriculum gives you puppet scripts and ideas instead of leaving you to improvise everything.
What Doesn't Work
Trying to be professional when you're not. Perfect teacher puppets. Using them every week. Strict control over interactions. Expensive complicated puppets.
Getting embarrassed about silly voices. Kids can tell when you're not committed.
What Works
Being willing to look silly. Confused, flawed puppet characters. Strategic use. Direct kid-puppet interaction. Simple, cheap puppets. Embracing chaos.
What I See
Kids are way more engaged with puppets. Share personal stuff. Pay closer attention.
Parents say kids talk about the puppet at home and ask when it's coming back. Some bring their own puppets now.
Difficult topics become manageable through the puppet filter.
Still Learning
Each puppet develops a personality based on kid responses. Orange one became a lovably confused character who needs help with everything.
Some kids are drawn to puppets immediately. Others take time. Most eventually get into it.
Real Point
It's not about the puppet. It's about creating a safe space where kids feel comfortable being honest and asking questions.
Puppet is just an effective way to create that space. Kids drop their guard around silly characters in ways they don't with adults.
When kids are engaged, opening up, and thinking about important stuff, real learning happens. Puppets make it more likely.
Anything that gets kids excited about God is worth feeling silly with an orange thing on your hand.
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