Make Popsicle Stick Puppets

Encourage your child to draw pictures of two of her favorite Sesame Street characters.

Cut out the pictures for your child and help her make puppets by taping each picture to a popsicle stick.

Give one puppet to your child and hold the other in your hand. Pick a situation for the puppets to act out, such as getting ready at bedtime, not wanting to share a toy, or the first day of school. As you are playing, ask your child how she thinks her puppet is feeling.

Encourage her to think about what her puppet might look like and act like based on what they are feeling. For example, if your child says that her puppet feels excited, she could make it jump up and down. If the puppet feels sad, she could make it look down and cry.

Let your child know that there are many ways to calm down and feel better when you’re feeling frustrated, sad, mad, or simply having a tough day. Share some ways that you calm down, such as taking slow, deep belly breaths, counting to 10, going for a walk, or listening to music, and have her select a strategy to help her puppet feel better. Talk with your child about how it’s okay to have many big feelings, such as sad, excited, disappointed, and thrilled, and that these feelings may come and go. Have a conversation with her and share feelings that you’ve had recently, and what caused you to feel that way. Talk with your child about some big feelings that she remembers having and why she may have felt that way. Encourage her to use phrases such as, “I felt angry because…” Encourage your child to draw pictures of things she can do to calm down, such as hug herself, sing a song, or belly breathe by taking slow, deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth.

Pick another situation and play again!