Shadow theater in kindergarten with their own hands

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Shadow theater is widely practiced in the system of pedagogical education. At the same time, this type of art, as a rule, does not require sophisticated equipment and serious acting skills, which provides additional opportunities for its use both in educational institutions and at home.

History of occurrence

According to some historical sources, shadow theater as an art originated in ancient China, during the Han Dynasty. According to another version, the shadow theater was borrowed from the culture of ancient Egypt. The most common subject for performances in China was the historical epic. In other states that adopted this type of art, the plot also had its own specifics. So, for example, in India, shadow theater performances were more often focused on religious themes, and in Turkey - on comedy.

In our country, the shadow theater appears at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. So, for example, its elements were used as part of school theaters in theological seminaries and academies.

Roleshadow theater in the development of children

Children's shadow theater is not just a kind of game for a child - it is an additional way of its development. Shadow games stimulate the baby's imagination, develop his imagination. Getting certain characters here is possible, for example, by folding fingers in a certain way. Accordingly, this provides additional opportunities for the development of the child's manual dexterity, the coordination of his movements.

At the same time, if we are talking about an early age, then the performance can be arranged by the parents of the baby. Older children are already able to take part in the play themselves. For group lessons it is also possible to use the shadow theater. In kindergarten, these entertainments are often used as exercises for the development of the child's motor skills and speech. And the text accompaniment, in turn, stimulates the speech culture of the baby.

Finger shadow theater

This type is the most common in working with babies. It allows you to create a shadow theater with your own hands. To create it, you need an even light background and a lamp. The lamp should be placed against the center of the screen, at a distance of several meters from the wall so that the light falls directly on it. It is better if the following proportion is observed: the width of the screen is equal to the distance from the lamp to the screen.

The material for the screen can be any translucent fabric or tracing paper stretched over a plywood frame.

A sheet fixed in a doorway will also work. Or you can set a simplea screen behind which the light source will be located. In this case, it is necessary to choose the right angle so that the shadow of the leader does not overlap the shadows of the hands. In addition, to enhance the effect, the room should be as dark as possible. By folding your fingers into a certain combination, you get the image of a particular character. Then it all depends on your imagination. To make your performance more entertaining, you can organize reading by roles, include appropriate background music, etc.

Images used

You can choose a wide variety of silhouettes for the shadow theater, depending on the plot of your performance. It is better to start with simpler images, gradually complicating the combinations. The most common are animal silhouettes; also with the help of hands it is possible to depict human figures, plants and various objects. At the same time, you can give the child the opportunity to name the characters or objects that he sees. It is also desirable to depict the interaction between the characters: how they react to each other, talk, move in space, etc. In addition, each image created can be accompanied by a small poem, for example: “A butterfly lives one day. The left wing of a butterfly is the dawn. Right - evening”(S. Kozlov). Your performance will be more exciting if you tell a fairy tale or fable (in which there are a small number of heroes) with the help of characters. For example, the fables of I. A. Krylov are well suited.

Use additional funds

If the performance is aimed at children of the older group of the kindergarten, it is possible that the finger shadow theater will captivate them less. Still, this activity is more suitable for kids. How to make the shadow theater more vivid and memorable? In this case, it is possible to use additional funds. So, for example, if we are talking about a play in an educational institution, and not a family home evening, it is better to use a real, professional screen.

The characters for the performance can be both ordinary dolls and silhouettes specially made of various materials. In this case, the material for cutting characters is better to choose black. Cut out silhouettes are best attached to sticks. You can complicate the action by using more mobile forms. So, for example, these can be articulated dolls that move with the help of special ropes.

Doll Making Instructions

A sketch is made on thin cardboard, according to which the head of the future character is cut out. Using glue or a paper clip (you can also use a needle and thread), a paper tube for the index finger is attached to the head - together they form the body of the doll. In turn, the puppeteer's middle and thumb become the character's legs. At the same time, it is better to make the figures in such a way that their heads and limbs are moving - this will make the shadow theater for children more dynamic and emotional.

Then in detail you need to dopunctures and thread pieces of wire into them, twisting on both sides in a spiral. In order to make eyes for the doll, punctures are also first made, the holes of which are subsequently expanded with some pointed object (awl, knife, etc.). A circle cut out of a colored transparent film is glued onto the hole. Then the details of the doll are covered with black paint.

Character Making Example: Baby Elephant

Buttons can also be used to give the figurines movement. Here is an example of making an elephant figurine for the performance:

- legs and torso are cut out of cardboard according to the pattern;

- small holes are made at the place of attachment of the first and second pair of legs;

- pairs of legs are fastened with elastic bands and buttons (the elastic band is threaded through the holes of the buttons, and its ends are passed through the legs and torso of the baby elephant);

- on the reverse side, the design is also fixed with buttons or with a piece of a match.

Thus, the baby elephant acquires a movable joint that allows him to depict the movement of his legs during the performance.

Stage and decorations

If you use puppets in the performance, then you should decide on the stage on which the performance will take place. For example, it can be made from a large rectangular box: a large hole is cut into it, which is then sealed with a white sheet of paper.

Also, the shadow theater looks more spectacular if you use the scenery. They can be cut out of paper andattached to the edge of the screen.

At the same time, it is important that, on the one hand, the scenery is clearly visible, and on the other hand, it leaves enough space for the characters of the performance in the center of the screen.

Thus, the shadow theater in kindergarten is not only an element of entertainment for children, but also an element of their own creativity, as well as a component of the child's upbringing and development system. In addition, activities of this kind stimulate the emotional sphere of children - emotions accompany both the process of preparing a performance, making characters and scenery, and the plot of the play itself. An additional effect to the performance, of course, adds a curtain.