Puppet play allows children with autism to recognize and find emotions , as well as being excellent for expanding their language and communication skills. Most neurotypical children love to play naturally and use their imagination intuitively at a relatively young age. We see this in normal development, most commonly around 3-6 years of age . A child can pick up a toy car and "pretend" that he is raising and lowering the furniture; It can make sounds happily to indicate the speed and engine of the car. As the child becomes more mature and develops relationships in the world, he or she can race the car and tell us a story about who is in the car, where they are going, and other details. Children learn about their world through play and can then develop healthy imaginations.

Before continuing, we invite you to review our last article, where we commented on some games that you can play with your little ones during quarantine , you can find it in the following link .

Children with autism often have challenges developing imaginations and symbolic play, so we find it ideal to be able to work on it from a very young age to give them tools to break this reality. This, in addition to communication and socialization, is an area where creative therapies can help . By engaging the child creatively and meeting them where they are, we can highlight their own interests and help them develop this skill in a fun way. We had touched on the topic of creativity and games as potential tools to develop it in one of our previous articles. You can visit it if you want.

Playing with puppets is a great activity that combines art and play together ! There are very simple ways to make puppets that can be performed by artists and beginners alike. There are even pre-cut fabric or paper “blanks” that can be used as starters from various school or art supply suppliers. There are a variety of styles such as paper bag puppets, sock puppets, finger puppets, stick puppets or glove puppets to name a few.

There are many different styles and ways to create puppets and it doesn't really matter which one you choose. The goal is to work together and encourage the child to be creative and imaginative with the act of making the puppet and then playing afterwards.

It's always good to have a visual reference, so it can be helpful to make a puppet show in advance or have a picture. However, try to encourage creative changes while the child makes his or her own puppet. Verbal feedback is a good way to support the child's efforts . Saying, "Oh, I like the way you used blue hair on yours instead of brown, it's so fun and bright!" As you create the puppet with your little one, there may be opportunities to begin “pretending” by making voices or giving the puppet a name.

We recommend that you make a puppet with your child's favorite character, this will stimulate him much more and help him want to get involved with this activity with greater motivation . After artistic creation, the work can begin. At first, some children on the spectrum may not join in, but rather watch the game or simply not pay attention. This is good. You may have to play for them instead of with them at first . Eventually, they may become curious and try some things with the puppet. Even if it doesn't seem to make sense, follow their lead and go with it, have fun with your little one.