Introduction and Description

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Puppetry is increasingly recognised as a powerful pedagogical tool capable of transforming communication, strengthening social-emotional learning, and fostering inclusive, learner-centred environments. Far more than an artistic activity, puppetry enables teachers to create a safe emotional distance through which children can express feelings, explore identity, and engage with challenging topics in ways that feel non-threatening and developmentally appropriate. For today’s educational organisations—facing diverse classrooms, heightened emotional needs, and the call for innovative teaching approaches—puppets offer a uniquely accessible method for enhancing participation, empathy, creativity, and wellbeing.

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This course, offered in both 5-day and 10-day formats, provides an academically grounded yet highly practical exploration of how puppets can be meaningfully integrated into everyday teaching practice. Participants examine the educational and psychological foundations of puppetry, learn how different puppet types (including sock puppets, rod puppets, object puppets and persona dolls) mediate communication and support Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and gain hands-on experience in constructing and animating their own puppets using simple, classroom-friendly materials. Special attention is given to the pedagogical use of persona dolls, a research-informed approach that enables teachers to address discrimination, empathy, social conflict, diversity and inclusion through guided narrative and gentle facilitation.

 

Through experiential workshops, collaborative tasks and reflective dialogue, participants learn how puppets can enrich literacy, language learning, intercultural understanding, SEL, and creative expression. They discover how puppetry can support shy or anxious learners, scaffold communication for students with limited language proficiency, and cultivate safe spaces for discussing sensitive or emotionally complex situations. The longer 10-day version allows deeper engagement with puppet design, animation, and extended classroom applications, while the 5-day version offers a focused introduction suitable for rapid integration into school contexts.

 

Designed to support high-quality Erasmus+ project applications, the course emphasises innovation, inclusion, teacher wellbeing, and sustainable whole-school impact. Participants leave equipped not only with new artistic and pedagogical skills, but also with concrete strategies for embedding puppetry into curricula, transversal competencies, and school development plans. By empowering educators to use puppets as mediators for communication, creativity and emotional growth, the course contributes to more resilient, engaging and human-centred learning environments across Europe.