Puppet Pals 2 - How-to

How – To sheet for using Puppet Pals 2 on iPad.

Puppet Pals is an app which allows children to create digital puppet shows using a variety of characters, backgrounds and props.

To Begin:  Either download the free app or purchase the school edition, which costs around $8.00. The school edition provides a larger number of characters and backgrounds to choose from, however the free edition allows for in-app purchases for characters.

Once the app is downloaded, select Play to create a puppet show or select Saved to view puppet shows already created.

To create a new puppet show select Play.

You will be offered a variety of locations which provide the background for the puppet show. The options are visual so no reading is required at this stage, meaning a pre-literate child could operate this on their own or with very little assistance from an adult.

Once a background location has been selected, icons will appear at the top of the screen. These are to change backgrounds, to select vehicles or animals, and pre-made characters, to select characters created with photos and to select background music.

Once these are chosen, you can either press the red record button which begins recording the play, or you can practice without recording.

The puppet show is enacted by touching a character, vehicle, or animal (or more than one at a time) and moving them around the screen. If recording, your voice will also be recorded, which moves the puppet character’s mouth if it is being touched at the same time. The character’s arms and legs can be moved as well, and can be placed in the vehicles or on the animals and moved together.

During recording, press the pause button if changes are needed or press the stop button to finish the play. Changes to characters and settings can be made while paused, and then you can resume the recording. When stopped, the puppet show can then be viewed and either saved or deleted. The puppet show can then be named and it will be saved to be viewed when desired from the home screen.

I feel that this app can be linked to Te Whāriki in many ways. 

Holistic learning is evident in the myriad ways children can use this app. Literacy and numeracy is explored with using images, changing themes via backgrounds, story-telling, discussions with adults and other children, and in ‘reading’ the screen to make the plays. Social development is occurring through the collaboration process involved in story-making and telling. Spiritual dimensions can be explored through story-making also, allowing many different cultures to use the same platform for sharing stories and legends.

Relationships can be strengthened through interaction and scaffolding provided by adults and other children in the puppet story-making process. More experienced children can help less experienced children as well as less experienced adults, using a tuakana-teina process for learning.

Family and community can be an important part of using puppet pals too, as children’s funds of knowledge are acknowledged and valued through story-making. The app provides children with an open ended platform which can suit children from all cultural backgrounds.

Children are empowered through the ease of use of the app, as they can explore it independently, being scaffolded by adults when needed. The app allows children to build on their own experiences, with no ‘right’ answers or options.