A group of puppeteers is taking a creative approach to helping Vermont students manage their anxiety this school year.
For almost 40 years, Puppets in Education — a part of the Vermont Family Network — has staged live presentations in schools around the state addressing issues such as bullying, abuse, health and stress.
As the pandemic has progressed, so has concern about child mental health
Through their presentations, Puppets in Education offers information about anxiety, leads discussions with students about what worries they might be having, and provides practice tools they can use to reduce anxiety.
They presented their first anxiety puppet program last November.
“The first show was just this incredible ‘aha’ moment. The kids — I think, because our groups are smaller — they were so comfortable to share their worries,” said Vogelsang-Card. “It was just like being in person, but even more intimate.”
Unsurprisingly, children expressed a number of COVID-related anxieties during the presentations, such as fears of getting sick or their parents getting sick and/or dying, not seeing friends, wearing masks, learning either in person or remotely, their parents losing their jobs, or not having enough food to eat.
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