Puppets and preschool age children seem to be made for each other. Look at the long-term success of Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers and many other TV programs aimed at the pre-school audience.
They all use puppets. Even Barney added puppets.
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Frame of Reference
The big thing to remember when working with 3-5 year olds is their lack of knowledge. They have a limited frame of reference.
Most humor assumes you know something and then we either make fun of it, which is satire, or we confuse it, using puns. Because of the limited frame of reference for this young age group, we can eliminate most satire.
They don’t get most satire. Clever or witty things will also go over their heads.
So how can you be funny for little ones?
Little kids love to flaunt what they do know. You can use this to your comic advantage.
- Call things by the wrong name. Call a cat a dog or a blue ball orange. They will correct you and find it really funny that you don’t know your colors or what an animal is.
- Mispronounce common words. Call a rabbit a rubbit (because I like to rub it), and they will gleefully correct you.
- Perform a common task incorrectly. I often will try to blow into the wrong end of a balloon. The children will yell “turn it around.” I will then turn myself around and try to inflate it again. They will let me know that was the wrong way, so I’ll turn the opposite direction. Next try, I will turn it end for end, but a complete 360 degrees so it is still upside down. This all gets hilarious to little minds and the children’s response is entertaining to the adults.
- Running gags work well with children. If you even accidentally drop a prop they will laugh. You can do it over and over and they will laugh every time. When you find something that makes them laugh, you can repeat it.
Get down to their level.
Children don’t get most jokes when they are 3 or 4 years old, but they love visual comedy. Snap yourself in the face while trying to inflate a balloon and they will laugh.
Drop your hat and “accidentally” kick it farther away from you time and again as you attempt to pick it up and they will laugh until you stop.
Remember, children have had limited exposure to things you find commonplace. Even well-known songs are new to them. You may think it will be funny if you sing a song wrong (works for Weird Al and Alan Sherman), but if the children don’t know the song, the humor will be lost.
Funny Animal Puppets
Little kids love animals, so an animal puppet is a great choice for this age group. The cuter the better.
Sometimes kids will want to show how smart they are by yelling out that the puppet is not real or that it is a puppet. I like to reply with, “Don’t tell him, he thinks he is real.”
Try to avoid hard-wood ventriloquist puppets. Those can be very scary to little ones (and my wife says they are creepy).
With any puppet, if you can make it act shy before it comes out, or ask the kids not to “scare the puppet,” you can help them relax around your little friend. This is especially more important the younger your audience.
Ways to use the puppet to create laughter
- Use the puppet to perform a magic trick.
- Use the puppet in a game of “you didn’t see it.” In this little “game,” the puppet will do something when you are not looking. The kids will yell for you to look, but you never see what is happening. This can be repeated over and over.
- Have the puppet steal a hanky from your pocket or sneeze and wipe his nose on your jacket.
- Have the puppet drop things or pronounce words wrong.
- Have the puppet pronounce your name wrong. Then you can have a little back and forth with you correcting the puppet again and again.
Funny stuff to pre-schoolers. Children love it when the puppet gets the best of you.
The Fear Factor
I already hinted at this. Some children get scared by puppets. School-age kids seem to love things that are creepy, ugly or grotesque, but little ones don’t. Even something like a wolf puppet for Little Red Riding Hood can be very scary to a 3 year old.
Keep the puppet on the quiet side. You may have it whisper in your ear, and you repeat what it said. Or have it speak softly, calmly.
Loud noises and loud voices can be very scary to a 3 or 4-year-old. If something is loud and surprising, it can bring tears.
Your own personality should be gentle and calm. Win the children’s confidence. Let them feel safe.
When twisting balloon sculptures at festivals, I like to let my wife handle the little ones. She will kneel down and her voice is soft. I tend to be louder and more intimidating.
The same child that can laugh at a clown on television or a monster in a cartoon may start crying when meeting a clown in real life.
Not because the clown is scary, but because they are large, close, and unfamiliar. I believe that is why hardwood puppets are also scary. They are unfamiliar and often they features are exaggerated in a strange way.
How To Perform For Libraries, Preschools and Daycares
- Don’t be over the top with noise or actions that may appear aggressive to a young mind.
- Use actions more than words.
- Use animal puppets that are cute and cuddly.
- Always be kind to your puppet. Never hit or yell at your puppet.
- Do things the children can understand and follow.
- Think like your audience thinks.
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