“Tissue Play” & “Tissue Play Tales”
Exploring colour, tactile rustles, and seasonal elements through scrunched and flying tissue paper, puppet-making, and illustrated storybooks.
The Sensory Journey
A special session designed for all early years ages, exploring vibrant colour through movement, sound, and music. Children experience natural elements in make-believe play — white tissue drifting down like winter snow, and brilliant red and orange tissue flickering like warm fire.
Creating an organic story led completely by the little ones, we scrunch, rip, tear, and shred colourful tissue paper into animals, dancing puppets, and whatever they imagine! At the end of the session, each child crafts their very own unique ‘scrunchy’ puppet using lollipop sticks and safe craft accessories to take home.
With specially composed acoustic music, this imaginative journey is devised from DNA Puppetry’s successful international touring show ‘Atishoo!’
Session Details
Recommended Age: 18 months and upwards
Duration: 1 hour or structured multi-week residency
Materials: All sensory tissue and craft materials included
EYFS Learning Objectives
- Colour & Light: Experiencing contrasting hues and translucent light play.
- Tactile Media: Exploring sound, texture, and physical transformation of delicate materials.
- Sustained Shared Thinking: Linking free child-led play to structured adult-supported activities.
- Creative Connections: Encouraging children to connect their ideas to brand new situations and stories.
Further Adventures: ‘Tissue Play Tales’
Over a series of extended nursery sessions, children develop their own story-making project called ‘Tissue Play Tales’. To honour the children’s ideas, lead artist Rachel Riggs organised for their stories to be illustrated by children’s book artist Heather Berrill and printed as bound books.
This legacy enabled the children to take their published stories home to share with parents, whilst providing a lasting classroom resource for educators.
From Session Play to Published Storybooks
Safety & Risk Assessment Protocol (Click to view)
Risk Assessment Summary for Tissue Play Session
Certified by Rachel Riggs (Creative Director, Imaginary Leaps).
| Hazard | Potential Harm | To Whom | Control Measures | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flammability of dry paper | Fire hazard | All participants | Tissue kept strictly away from heat sources, lamps, or electrical fittings. | Managed (8) |
| Slipping on tissue paper | Slips and falls | All participants | If vigorous running develops, floor cleared of loose paper; non-slip floor surface ensured. | Low (4) |
| Craft items in mouths | Choking hazard | Young children | Crafting closely supervised 1-to-1 with parents and staff. | Managed (8) |
| Bumping during play | Minor bumps | Children | Calm atmosphere with soothing background audio and ample movement space. | Low (4) |