SRF Training: Using Puppets for Social and Emotional Learning

Pelican Talk Speech Therapy Resources ABN 87 985 918 338

Learn practical puppetry skills, helping young children explore social and emotional learning

Sessions are open to the public although they are also included on the School Readiness Funding menu (Victoria) and are available through Kindy Uplift funding (QLD).

Download Brochure (includes options and pricing)

Sessions can be run individually for services

We can come to you - or we regularly do the training via Zoom.

Sessions can be remote

Alternatively, we welcome you to join one of OUR sessions. Our Zooms are run over two sessions of 2.75 hours.

You can attend a session

You can choose to attend one of our full-day training sessions at our training venue in Ivanhoe, Melbourne.

There’s certainly a lot of fun in this training.  Participants learn about the magic of puppetry and how to make a puppet “come alive” and are given countless real-life examples of puppets being used successfully with children. 

A puppet package can be included in your training – each puppet, being carefully selected to address specific learning goals.  (You can use your own).  The training goes for 5.5 hours plus breaks. 

But it’s not just a day of playing with puppets…

Participants develop an indepth knowledge relating to emotional and social development and the challenges that some children face. They learn how to promote the skills, behaviours  and knowledge that underpin emotional regulation and healthy social interactions. We cover emotional trauma, language issues, neurodivergence and much more. The knowledge gained on the day can easily be applied to other sessional activities such as book sharing and pretend play. ​

Throughout the training, participants: 

  • Learn how to use hand puppets in a way that is engaging to children (“making a puppet come alive”)
  • Explore the three types of puppet use applicable to the early childhood setting
  • Explore theories of emotional intelligence and its development
  • Enhance your current emotional awareness programming, source authentic resources for sessions
  • Learn about neurodiversity and neurodiversity-affirming practice
  • Learn how to model emotions using a puppet in order to promote a rich emotional vocabulary
  • Learn how to demonstrate emotional regulation using a puppet
  • Explore the Social Puppets program and discuss how implement it within a centre (this is received free with the training)
  • Learn about how to use the Social Sam program (this program is provided free along with the training)
  • Explore current theories of social development and the levels of social understanding necessary for developing successful peer relationships
  • Learn about why children vary in their social and emotional capabilities
  • Learn about Theory of Mind, deficits in Theory of Mind, and how to promote it using a puppet
  • Learn how to set up play-based learning with puppets to further reinforce social and emotional learning
  • Learn how to use a calming puppet
  • Learn the Tommy Turtle calming strategy (for regulating anger, frustration, etc)
  • Learn how to adapt the above learning to other modes of play and book-sharing

Options – Dates and Times

Option 1

Host A Whole Staff Training At Your Centre

Using Puppets for Social and Emotional Learning

  • We visit you at your centre

  • Training over one day

  • Whole staff training

  • Contact us to organise a day

Contact Us
Option 2

Organise Zoom Training for Your Whole Centre

Using Puppets for Social and Emotional Learning

  • Training online via Zoom

  • Training over 1, 2 or 3 sessions

  • Whole staff training

  • Available after hours

  • Contact us to organise dates and times

Contact Us
Option 3

Attend a Training Day in Melbourne

Using Puppets for Social and Emotional Learning

  • Training at the Quest Ivanhoe, Victoria

  • Training over one day

  • Contact us to organise dates and times

Choose from one of the training days below. Note that these book out quickly:

  • Friday March 21st 2025

  • Thursday May 15th 2025

  • Friday May 16th 2025

  • Thursday August 7th 2025

  • Friday August 8th 2025

  • Thursday October 16th 2025

  • Friday October 17th 2025

Contact Us
Option 4

Join Online Training That We Host

Using Puppets for Social and Emotional Learning

  • Training online via Zoom

  • Each series consists of 2 sessions

  • Each participant must complete both sessions in the series

  • Contact us to organise dates and times

Choose from one of the training days below. Note that these book out quickly:

  • Series One: March 6th and March 13th 2025 4.00 pm – 6.45 pm AES

  • Series Two: April 29th and May 6th 2025 2.45 pm – 5.30 pm AEST

  • Series Three: May 1st and May 8th 4.00 pm – 6.45 pm AEST

  • Series Four: June 5th and June 19th 2.45 – 5.30 pm AEST

  • Series Five: July 31st and August 14th 2025 2.45 pm – 5.30 pm AEST

Contact Us

The Presenter: 

Lucia Smith is a speech pathologist with 30 years of experience working with children across a range of settings. She has always taken loved incorporating the magic of puppets in her work and has enjoyed sharing this knowledge in her workshops and conference presentations. 

Lucia is the creator of many popular resources used in early childhood and school settings, including “Social Sam” and “Social Puppets.” (You receive these as part of the training).