More and more children suffer from stress, drama, loneliness, depression, and are simply exhausted. In collaboration with the Joy Academy’s founder Kathrin Köster, Gina Eitelbös has developed a creative and effective way of dealing with such inner states using puppet theater. 

It’s not simply puppets, but the Formies, the four Me’s all human beings consist of: Mr. Mind, the clear thinker, Her Highness Heart, the feeling heart, Buddy Body, the flexible body, and Conscious Me, the inner observer. Those are the funny characters that give children new ways of expressing themselves, because it’s the toys that are speaking, not themselves. The children identify themselves with the puppets. With role-plays they manage to change perspectives. It is the puppets who talk about their feelings. This also allows introverts and shy children to express themselves more clearly.

Gina offers one-week children’s camps and one-day workshops where children have the opportunity to get to know themselves more deeply. Theater plays the parents can visit at the end of the camps also are rather enlightening for some parents who may discover unkown facets of their kids.

The impact:

With the Formies Theater, children can express their inner world in a playful and imaginative way. They have fun and get some pieces of advice from the Formies on how to tackle similar situations in the future.