Puppets and Paisley

As a nod to all the "soft" things we've been playing with lately, I pulled out Erik's little puppet and decided to see what Paisley thought of it. As long as it was just sitting still where she could look at it and touch it, she thought it was great.  

 Then, I made the mistake of putting it on my hand and making it "talk" to her. I touched her toes with the puppet and talked to her about her toes. I had planned on moving on to her fingers and maybe her tummy, but she was not real thrilled with this new game. In fact, I think the puppet had her feeling a little creeped out.

Apparently, Paisley is not a huge fan of talking and moving teddy bears. Now, I'm not giving up on her yet, we may still convert her to the idea of playing with puppets, but we'll have to take it a little slower. 

Playing with puppets, even at this young age, can have some benefits for a child. It encourages Paisley to practice tracking a moving object with her eyes, and even turning her head to follow it when it moves far enough to one side or the other. It gives her a "new" individual to interact with so she gets more social practice. It is sensory stimulation as she feels the puppet touch her hands or feet or face.

So, this won't be the last time we play with puppets, but we may have to wait a little while until she's over her fear of it.