Research and Innovation Services

The Puppet Box is a successful intervention designed to support teachers, early years practitioners, the social work sector, and families. The Puppet Box provides a physical puppet box and a set of strategies, games and activities illustrating how to effectively use puppetry as a medium in support of children’s’ social and emotional development.

The resources include online and physical resources including training videos, example scripts, activities, games, arts & crafts ideas, rhymes, songs and recommendations for children’s books, all of which provide opportunities to practice recognising own feelings and feelings in others, learn empathy, perspective taking, communication strategies, and emotion regulation.

Joanna Wincenciak, School of Education, University of Glasgow – experimental psychologist with expertise in emotion and social cognition

Elizabeth Black, School of Education, University of Glasgow – lecturer in childhood practice interested in active play

Georgina Wardle - School of Education, University of Glasgow, developmental psychologist with expertise in social development

Puppet Animation Scotland – champions of visual theatre, puppetry, and animated film.

The programme activities and outcomes are likely to generate significant intermediate and long-term impact. Programme participants, whether they are teachers, social workers or families, reported gaining new skills and knowledge of how to support young children’s emotional development, became more aware of the role of emotional regulation in learning and socialisation, and gained confidence in working with children. Our goal for the long term impact is to create accessible resources and training materials for practitioners and communities to promote well-being, emotional regulation and socio-emotional leaning in young children.  These resources might mitigate the psychological and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but most importantly, will provide a better start for children who are already at higher risk of developing emotional dysregulation and behavioural problems, and in consequence, have more negative educational outcomes. Untimely, the Puppet Box is likely to contribute to the development of health literacy and well-being, and reduction the educational equalities.

The Puppet Box, in partnership with Puppet Animation Scotland, and previously funded by Baillie Gifford is seeking support and advice as well as financial resources.