K-2 Puppetry

Puppet theatre is an effective vehicle for developing and practicing theatre, literacy and social skills, among them: cooperation, concentration, communication, problem solving, listening and speaking skills, along with creative and physical expression. The lessons available on this page were created by the San Diego Guild of Puppetry for a special Teaching Artist Project carried out at Freese Arts and Culture Magnet in San Diego, CA.

Unlike other forms of theatre, in puppet theatre, anyone can play any role. One is not limited by size, age, gender, ethnic origin, or physical /verbal ability. What matters is their ability to imagine and create a believable character, and bring it to life as a puppet.

Busy Spider Puppetry Unit (Lesson plan for 8-session puppet theater unit, PDF format) based on book by Eric Carle (Unit Meets Kindergarten Content Standards)

Three Billy Goats Gruff Puppetry Unit (Lesson plan for 9-session puppet theater unit, PDF) (Unit Meets First Grade Content Standards)

Jabuti Puppetry Unit (Lesson plan for 8-session puppet theater unit, PDF format) Based on book by Gerald McDermott (Unit Meets Second Grade Content Standards)

Article Featuring Puppet Theatre Program at Freese from the Journal for Learning through the Arts (describes impact of arts integration on diverse urban elementary school)