Leo the Soft’n Cuddly Chatty Lion

Hold up a puppet and pretend it’s talking to the child, saying phrases like "Hello! What's your name?" or "What did you do today?" Encourage the child to respond to the puppet's questions. This exercise helps practice conversational skills, encourages turn-taking, and builds confidence in speaking.

Use the puppet to point to parts of its body, saying phrases like "This is my nose" or "Where are my eyes?" Encourage the child to repeat the words and point to the same parts on the puppet or themselves. This exercise reinforces vocabulary related to body parts and improves listening and identification skills.

Create scenarios where the puppet expresses different emotions, like "I feel happy because I have a new friend" or "I'm sad because it's raining." Ask the child to identify the emotion and explain why the puppet might feel that way. This activity helps develop emotional awareness, vocabulary for feelings, and empathy.

Choose a puppet and create a short story about its day, like "Today, the bear went to the park and saw a butterfly." Encourage the child to add to the story, suggesting what the puppet did next. This exercise builds narrative skills, expands vocabulary, and encourages creative thinking.