All The Fun Of Sock Puppets

Sock puppets are a really fun way to interact with your baby as well as being super simple to create. They inspire wonder, creativity and excitement. Sock puppets help to create a fun and magical experience together.

Babies love puppets and they will help to bring your stories to life and make your baby smile and laugh. Playing with puppets is one of the most educational activities you can expose your baby to. Puppets can also set the stage for many bonding moments so they make a great gift for new parents!

The simplest and easiest way is to glue gun a couple of goggly eyes onto a sock with coloured heels and toes so the mouth is instantly created. However, if you have more time and resources...why not be more creative and go all out with your sock puppet!

Benefits of Puppet Play

• Language Development

• Exploring emotions

• Building confidence

• Emotional development

• Social development

• Eye hand coordination

• Gross and fine motor skills

Inspiration For Using Your Sock Puppet

• Act out a fairytale

• Read a story

• Use your puppet to sing a song

• Do a little dance with your sock puppet

• The hungry puppet - great for object permanence. Set out loose parts on the floor and make your sock puppet "eat" them. Go searching for the missing parts and narrate lots. Older babies will probably help you look for the missing parts too!

• Scented Puppets - Add a few drops of vanilla (or alternative) scented oil to your sock puppet and gently move it under your baby's nose

• Puppet Massages - Use your sock puppet to gently tickle or massage your baby

• Slide the sock puppet over your baby's foot and encourage them to move their legs and feet to make the puppet move. For younger baby's, manipulate their legs and feet so the puppet moves. Add an extra sensory level by adding a bell for a nose

Top Tips

• Put on a funny voice when talking as your sock puppet - this may make them giggle, if so, giggle back

• Don't be afraid to be silly! The more animated you are and the more interactive you are, the more your baby will enjoy it

• Taking turns responding to each other helps develop your baby's language skills

• Make lots of eye contact

Take it a step further and make a sock puppet theatre to perform from.