Participatory Methods

Puppets

Puppets is a participatory activity where participants design characters and use them to tell stories, explore themes, or solve problems creatively. This activity promotes empathy, communication, and emotional expression through symbolic play and teamwork.

Preparation

  1. Define the purpose:
    • Encourage creativity and emotional expression through character creation.
    • Explore innovative solutions through symbolic narratives.
    • Promote collaboration and effective communication in a playful environment.
  2. Prepare the materials:
    • Socks, paper, felt, cardboard, buttons, markers, and other creative materials.
    • Scissors, glue, tape, or other assembly tools.
    • Optional: accessories to decorate the puppets (mini hats, fabrics, etc.).
  3. Set up the space:
    • Arrange a spacious work area where participants can comfortably create their puppets.
    • Prepare an area for storytelling presentations, such as a stage or improvised space.
  4. For virtual implementation:
    • Use online tools that allow participants to present their puppet performances in real time via video.
    • Provide a space to share pre-made puppets using household or digital materials.
    • Encourage interaction through collaborative online performances.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Introduction to the purpose
    • Explain that the activity consists of creating puppets and using them to tell a story or solve a group challenge.
    • Mention that puppets symbolize ideas or emotions that allow reflection and connection with others.
  2. Puppet creation
    • Distribute materials for participants to design and craft their puppets.
    • Provide examples of characters to inspire the creative process.
    • Set a time limit (20-30 minutes) to complete the creation.
  3. Story development
    • Divide the group into small teams and ask them to invent a story using their puppets.
    • Define a theme or challenge as a guide for the narratives.
    • Assign roles within the team, such as narrator, puppet handler, or coordinator.
  4. Presentation
    • Each team presents its story to the group, using the puppets to act out events.
    • Encourage constructive discussions to enrich the shared experience.
  5. Group reflection
    • Guide the group in a discussion:
      • What did they discover about the chosen theme?
      • How did puppets help explore ideas or emotions?
      • What creative challenges did they face and how did they overcome them?
  6. Symbolic closing
    • Display the puppets as a visual reminder of the activity.
    • If virtual, take screenshots or create a video of the presentations to share later.
Recommendations
  • Proporciona ejemplos de títeres simples para inspirar a los participantes.
  • Introduce un desafío temático, como resolver un problema comunitario o narrar una experiencia personal.
  • Adapta los materiales según la edad y contexto del grupo.
  • Reflexiona sobre cómo los títeres ayudan a expresar ideas o emociones difíciles de abordar directamente.
Inspiration

Ideas to carry out the Puppet dynamic meaningfully

  • Introduce a prompt like “Create a puppet that represents a creative solution.”
  • Explore themes such as emotions, inclusion, or social challenges through the created characters.
  • Create a symbolic stage where the puppets interact in collective stories.
  • Relate the activity to conflict resolution skills or empathy.
  • Encourage improvisation during presentations to make the activity more dynamic.
  • Design a virtual or physical gallery with the created puppets to share with other groups.
  • Reflect on how the created characters represent the group’s values.
  • Connect the puppets to a broader group narrative, such as a collaborative play.
  • Include a voting component to reward the most creative or meaningful puppet.
  • Introduce visual and symbolic metaphors in the designs to stimulate abstract thinking.
Materials
  • Materiales para construir los títeres (calcetines, fieltro, cartón, etc.).
  • Espacio para presentaciones o narrativas.
Online platforms
Purpose
The purpose of Puppets is to explore themes, solve problems, or tell stories through characters created by participants. The activity fosters emotional expression, creativity, and teamwork, providing a playful and symbolic way to reflect and connect with others.
Type of activity
Participatory DesignParticipatory Interaction
Level of participation
Collaboration, Exchange of perspectives
Target audience
Facilitators, NGOs and social collectives, Business teams
Fields of application
Education and training, Art, culture, and creativity, Innovation and design, Citizen and social participation
Estimated duration
60-90 minutes.
Ideal number of participants
10-30 participants, organized into small teams.
Topics related to this activity
Art TherapyCollective ConstructionCollective ReflectionCreative Problem SolvingCreative ReflectionExperiential LearningGroup CreativityGroup StrengtheningIdea GenerationParticipatory InteractionParticipatory TheatreTeam CreativityTeamworkVisual CommunicationVisual Narrative
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