Need a Better Way to Engage Children?

Learn How a Simple Puppet Can Revolutionize Communication and Learning!

Do you find it challenging to engage children in your conversations and activities? Is it difficult to motivate them, and do you often wonder what’s going on in their minds? Would you like to connect with them more easily, involve them in tasks effortlessly, help them practice new skills smoothly, and enable them to speak freely? Imagine communicating with them as naturally as they would with a friend—spontaneously, equally, and supportively.

If so, I’d be thrilled to teach you how to achieve this by using a hand puppet.

Curious how this approach differs from method-based puppetry or roleplaying and if this suits your wishes? Watch this video's

Why a hand puppet?

Children often find it easier to talk to a hand puppet than to an adult. They intuitively sense that adults have expectations, even when unspoken, and that their actions can have consequences. This can make children feel constrained, holding back and putting up walls around themselves.

A puppet, viewed as a peer, acts as a non-judgmental friend who listens and understands. This dynamic creates a unique and safe space, encouraging children to express themselves more freely and honestly.

However, the puppet can also lose this sense of safety if it starts to mimic adult behaviors too closely, acting like a mini-adult and echoing your words and actions. The challenge is to keep the puppet as ‘pure’ as possible and closely aligned with the child’s perspective.

I will show you how to do this in “Play and Connect,” an online course where you will learn step by step to transform a simple hand puppet into a fantastic assistant.

You—the puppeteer—will learn to operate the puppet and establish contact in an entirely new way. In "Play and Connect," the psychology of the hand puppet merges with play techniques, communication strategies, and playful engagement, working together to enrich children’s activities, conversations, games, and tasks.

The goal is to create a puppet that builds relationships with children and encourages them to participate actively. A puppet that not only helps you achieve your educational and developmental goals but also provides deeper insights into the child’s thoughts and feelings. A successful puppet balances what you aim to achieve with what the child expects from the puppet, ensuring it remains an effective tool for engagement.

What Will You Learn?

• Bringing Your Puppet to Life: Learn how to animate your puppet, giving it a personality and voice that resonates with children and encourages them to engage.
• Building A Relationship Between The Puppet And The Child: Develop the skills to create meaningful interactions through your puppet, allowing it to become a trusted figure that children look forward to spending time with.
• Playful and Effective Communication: Discover how to use your puppet to challenge children, facilitate participation, and make learning enjoyable.

Course Benefits:

• Confidence with Puppets: Quickly feel at ease with a puppet on your hand, knowing exactly how to use it to engage children.
• Stronger Bonds: Strengthen your relationship with children by presenting a puppet who sees the world from their perspective, fostering deeper and more meaningful interactions.
• Enhanced Professional Skills: Improve your educational toolkit with innovative and effective puppeteering techniques, creating a vibrant and enjoyable learning environment.

This is what fellow course participants say about my courses: 🎭Reviews

"In one word: amazing! Helen's course gave me the confidence to use my puppet, even in 5th grade. My puppet, Maartje, has become an essential part of my lessons." - Yvette, a grateful teacher

"Helen's enthusiasm and practical tips significantly lowered the threshold for actually using my hand puppet. I have made so much progress and now use my puppet for almost all subjects, hearing so much more from children. A tremendous gift!" - Mary, a dedicated counselor

"I found the course an eye-opener. It has a solid structure with a fun approach. I learned to give my puppet, Mees, a character and a voice, making my interactions with children more engaging." - Ann, a satisfied homeschooling parent

"Helen gave me the confidence to really get started with my puppet. I went from feeling incompetent to empowered, thanks to her blend of knowledge and practical application." - Christel, an inspired educator

Ideal for parents and various professionals

Whether you’re a (homeschooling) parent, preschool teacher, childcare professional, speech therapist, special education teacher or counselor, “Play & Connect” provides tools and techniques to enhance your interactions with children. 

If you work with groups, you can apply this approach to children aged 3 – 6 years. If you primarily deal with individual children, you can also use this approach with older children and even teenagers. You will quickly notice whether a child is receptive to a puppet. As soon as you see a spark in a child’s eyes while they look at the puppet, you’ll know enough… this child might respond well to a puppet.

Embrace the Journey and discover that with a puppet, you literally have endless possibilities in your own hands

Helen Meurs

About Your Instructor: I'm Helen Meurs, a former teacher, author of "The Hand Puppet As An Educational Tool" and renowned puppet expert based in the Caribbean Bonaire. With over 30 years of experience with a puppet as a tool and two decades training professionals, I've designed "Play and Connect" to bridge the gap between traditional teaching methods and interactive, puppet-assisted learning.

My approach is straightforward and effective, tailored to anyone passionate about enriching children's educational experiences. I am here to help you master your hand puppet in a way that suits you, is doable for you, and make you happy.

Embark on This Playful Journey: So, I am ready to work with you if you are. Let's start today!