Puppet Theatre as an Educational Tool in Early Childhood Development in Enugu State

This study investigates the use of puppet theatre as an educational tool in early childhood development in selected primary schools and nursery centres in Enugu State, South East Nigeria. Puppet theatre engages children through visual storytelling and character animation, creating an immersive learning environment that facilitates cognitive, emotional, and social development. The research evaluates how puppet theatre interventions have been implemented in early childhood education settings and assesses their impact on children's learning outcomes. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, with puppet theatre sessions introduced in three nursery schools over a six-week period, and pre-test and post-test assessments administered to measure learning gains. Observational notes and teacher interviews complemented the quantitative data. The study finds that children in the puppet theatre group demonstrated greater improvement in vocabulary acquisition, attention span, and cooperative behaviour compared to the control group. Teachers noted that puppet performances elicited higher levels of emotional engagement and imaginative response. The research concludes that puppet theatre is an effective and culturally adaptable pedagogical tool for early learners. It recommends that the Enugu State Ministry of Education include puppet theatre in the guidelines for early childhood educators. Keywords: puppet theatre, early childhood education, learning outcomes, Enugu State, creative pedagogy.