Participation of children in puppet activities

V predšolskem obdobju je v procesu učenja najpomembnejša igra. Otroka moramo obravnavati kot svobodnega človeka in mu tako z aktivnim vključevanjem omogočiti oblikovanje identitete. Pomembno je, da vzgojitelji zagotovijo bogato in spodbudno okolje, v katerem otroci raziskujejo in ustvarjajo skozi domišljijo. V diplomski nalogi želim raziskati, kako lahko lutke vključimo v vzgojno-izobraževalni proces kot metodo za doseganje kurikularnih ciljev. Diplomska naloga je razdeljena na teoretični in empirični del. V teoretičnem delu je predstavljen koncept participacije in vloga lutke v pedagoškem procesu. Lutka je nepogrešljiva v predšolskem obdobju, saj je dober posrednik med otrokom in odraslim ter okoljem. Udeležba otrok oziroma participacija pa je najbolj poznana v pedagoškem pristopu Reggio Emilia, ki je vse bolj uveljavljen tudi v slovenskih vrtcih. V empiričnem delu diplomske naloge je predstavljen projekt, ki sem ga izvajala v enoti Najdihojca vrtca Ciciban v Novem mestu. V projektu so sodelovali otroci stari od 4 do 6 let. Motivirala sem jih z lutko in jim predstavila različne lutkovne tehnike, ki sem jih vključevala v vsakodnevne dejavnosti in dnevno rutino. Lutka se je izkazala kot uspešna pri motivaciji za udeležbo otrok pri dejavnostih, saj sem z njo prek igre dosegla cilje na vseh treh področjih otrokovega razvoja: spoznavnem, čustveno socialnem in psihomotoričnem. Odnosi so postali bolj odprti, povečala se je pripravljenost za medsebojno pomoč in sodelovanje, lutka pa je ustvarila tudi bolj sproščeno vzdušje.Play is an important part of the learning process during early childhood years. The child needs to be seen as a free young person and we need to enable them to create an identity through active involvement in the learning process. It is very important that educators provide children with rich and stimulating environment. Children have to be given the opportunity to practice using their imagination, think creatively, and explore. I, therefore, wanted to find out how we can involve puppets in the educational process. My thesis is divided into a theoretical and empirical part. The theoretical part introduces the concept of participation. Participation and the involvement of children are best known in Reggio Emilia\u27s pedagogic approach which is becoming more and more established in Slovenian kindergartens. In the empirical part of my thesis, I would like to present a project that I carried out in the Ciciban kindergarten in Novo mesto, in the unit called Najdihojca. Children from 4 to 6 years old have participated in the project. They have been motivated by the puppet, and I have also introduced various puppet techniques. The puppet turned out to be a successful motivator for everyday activities and during their daily routine. By using a puppet I targeted all three areas of child developmentpsychomotor, social-emotional and mental. Relationships between us have become more open. The readiness for mutual assistance and cooperation has definitely increased and I have also noticed that the puppet created an even more relaxed atmosphere