Högskolan i Skövde

This article illustrates different communicative contents based on children’s motivation and intention that through the puppet play speak and act linguistically. In the empirical section, the puppet consists and functions as a starting point for children’s interaction and narratives. The research interest is directed towards children’s ways of expressing the meaning of the puppet and motives that are generated in the interaction between the puppet and the children in their mutual play. The study result shows that children in interaction with the puppet broaden the linguistic environment in the preschool when they express their knowledge and experience belonging to other contexts than preschool.

This article describes a puppet as a mediating tool in early childhood education and the puppet's communicative properties, potential and use in preschool. In the empirical section, the puppet consists and functions as a starting point for children's interaction, narratives and different ways of communication. The research interest is directed towards the content of communicative processes where the puppet is present between the teacher and the children, towards children's ways of expressing the meaning of the puppet, and towards the motives that are generated in the interaction between the  puppet and the children in different activities. The overall aim is to generate knowledge of the puppet's relational, linguistic and action-related potential as a mediating tool for children's communication and  learning in preschool.

Puppets as educational tool serve as animated symbols of thoughts, feelings and experiences. Research interests are directed towards the puppet´s meaning and significance by the activity´s subjective product in the human activity. By illuminating the puppet’s communicative properties, the aim of my research is to develop knowledge about the puppet`s relational, linguistic and action-related potential as a mediating tool in preschool and school education.