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Persona dolls
Persona Dolls are an engaging and versatile tool designed for trained professionals to engage effectively with children to pro-actively address actions and attitudes that can lead to bullying behaviour. Persona Dolls have been developed for use with children in early years, primary one and primary two settings to help promote equality and fairness. They can be particularly useful for developing an understanding of diversity as well as skills in problem solving and developing healthy relationships. The dolls are designed to be life-like - they should be roughly the same size and age as the children involved, but they shouldn't be confused with toys. They are designed to raise challenging questions and scenarios to help children to respond positively in real-life situations.
They should only be used under the supervision of a trained practitioner who will determine the doll's character and lifestyle, making it appropriate for the issues being discussed. It is important that the practitioner has a good understanding of the session and is clear about how it will develop. Persona Dolls can help children to consider how they might respond to bullying behaviour as well as acknowledging how it can impact on them and other people. They can also be effective in promoting a healthy respect for difference, discussing prejudice-based bullying and the attitudes behind it. Persona Dolls have been used in Scotland to:
How do they work? Persona Dolls can be used in a one-off lesson or as part of a series of lessons, and they are often used as part of Circle Time or storytelling activities. Typically one doll will be used at a time, with the first session being used to promote the similarities between the doll and the children. A story or scenario will be developed, which is normally about a predicament the doll faces - such as being bullied or excluded from play. Dolls can be designed and given a specific persona to raise issues of equality and diversity, such as a particular skin colour or a name or clothing from a different culture. It's important that the doll's character and story is realistic and does not go so far as to promote harmful stereotypes.
Children are given an open forum to discuss issues such as how the doll might feel and how they or other people might feel if they were in the doll's situation. They are encouraged to help the doll decide how it might respond to problems such as bullying or fall-outs between children or between adults and children. Persona doll training must be undertaken before being used. It is important that adults have the skills and confidence to educate children appropriately on the subjects they raise, and respond to any challenging questions or situations that might arise. The doll's identity, character and scenario should be determined in advance to avoid any confusion among the children. It is always good practice to inform parents and carers of any work you are planning in advance. This will help address any concerns they may have and give them the opportunity to ask questions. Parents can be encouraged to support the work by encouraging their child to talk about the doll's story or problem, and it is always worth considering if your organisation can invite parents along to see the dolls in action. Case Study To help put the above information into context, have a look at the Persona Dolls Case Study Resources Persona Dolls can be sourced from educational toy retailers. For further information about training and other resources including books and DVDs visit http://www.persona-doll-training.org/ |
