Finger Puppets

I have grown up talking to babies. They say that talking to babies, using normal vocabulary in a slightly higher pitched voice is vital to an interactive baby and improves language development. None of that 'fake' baby talk for me. Babies are going to give you imitations of words and sounds: gaga, dada, cooo, etc. so why would we talk in their language. They are trying to mimic us, why do some have the desire to mimic them! I love chatting with Madison, I tell her things that she might like to do when she grows up,I tell her that she is beautiful with crazy hair and a cheesy smile, and I even sign to her when she wants milk, takes a bath, or we go to church or the park. However, I try my very hardest to use real words and correct sounds when I tell her stories.

However, sometimes talking to a baby gets boring and old. They don't really have meaningful contributions to the conversation and therefore it can get exhausting to be the only one talking. When I am bored, or even Madison is getting restless or ornery I have found that props work! I made finger puppets! They always catch her attention and give me something new to talk about or prompt me in my creative story telling skills.

 These finger puppets are made out of  felt, puffy paint, googly eyes, and a fabric glue. ( and of course you can see the random pipe cleaner tail on the cat) I love projects that use felt because it is so cheap, easy to use, and comes in a variety of colors.

I used the same back pattern for all the puppets so that they would be the same size. I then just drew out or free handed a front if I needed ears or paws, cut out different colors, for noses, horns, or manes. Then did some gluing. The last step is using the puffy paint for the finer details. Then all you have to do is let it dry.

A little hint of how the back of the puppets look

Super easy! Super fun! The only hazard are the googly eyes. Toddlers love to chew on them and could possibly choke.

I love these little puppets. I try not to over use them so I don't get bored or tired of the. It also gives me practice using different voices for different characters. Definitely not my forte, but I am getting better.