Using a Wiggle Worm Puppet

Teaching the melody of a song is lots of fun with this Wiggle Worm puppet. He shows a bit of wear, but I hope you can see some possibilities in a puppet such as him. I use this puppet with a "follow the leader" kind of game. He is perfect for teaching the melody of a song because the kids can simply hum and move with the music. If you use the puppet with review songs, the children will need to know the words pretty well because this game requires some concentration.

Put the puppet over your hand and down your arm a bit. While the music plays, or while you sing, move your arm with the music and invite the children to copy your movements. Don't ham it up too much or you'll just invite hamming up later when the children use the puppet. If the music is fast, your motions can be a little faster or slower if the music is slower. Large and small arm movements can help indicate dynamics also. Younger children will not be able to follow your gestures exactly but they will enjoy the movements. Older children can concentrate and follow you more precisely, especially if you challenge them to think of a mirror.

Decide on rules that are appropriate for both Jr. and Sr. kids and explain the rules beforehand. My rules include staying in your seat and not touching another person! If you have the room, you can stand and spread out just a little. As with all music aids, I gently remind the children that I need to depend on them to use the puppet respectfully. If using these fun things causes problems I just don't feel like getting them out. Some of the older primary kids can't help but goof off when they are in front of everyone, but they are able to understand this message.

You or the children can also use this puppet to simply direct the singing. This puppet also works especially well for pitch-level conducting. Just follow the melody with up and down hand movements.

This is a really easy puppet to make. Find a knee sock and glue or sew two eyes on him. That's it! If you use glue, use the permanent fabric kind so that you can wash the puppet. If the foot length is large you may need to cut off the toe and gather it up or sew it closer to the heel, so that the sock fits a child's hand better. The heel should fall somewhere close to the wrist. I hope you'll let me know if your children like to use such a puppet.