Lilabell came alive today in a first grade classroom as kids talked to her, telling about what they did over the weekend and then excitedly waited for a turn to try her on and give her voice. One little girl animated Lilabell and then straightened her hair with care, while other kids slipped their arms into hers and used the hands to shake and wave. Living Puppets come to us from Germany and include a lively, cute collection of characters and animals that are soft and loving enough for kids to use and engaging enough for professional puppeteers! Puppets are a great educational tool for encouraging kids to talk and express themselves when they are a bit shy about speaking in front of others. The teacher later told me that one of the boys is quiet but not with Lilabell on his arm! As a speech pathologist, I also love the feature of being able to move her tongue with your finger. When teaching proper placement of the tongue to produce sounds, I would appreciate a cute companion to assist me and I know the kids would love her too. It gives them a visual cue of how to make the sound. Puppets also inspire story telling through dialogue and narration which builds language skills for later reading and writing. A wonderful addition to circle time or library story hour, Lilabell captures kids attention and keeps them involved in the story. What a fun teacher she can be!

Available at Living Puppets. Click here