Professional Creative Training
Equipping early years educators, childcare practitioners, librarians, and gallery facilitators with practical storytelling and visual puppetry skills.
“Funpacked, interactive and brilliantly presented. Thank you! If this course doesn’t inspire you, nothing will!”
— J. Hodgkinson, Bookstart Development ManagerTransforming Early Years Practice
Imaginary Leaps delivers bespoke professional development training for early years practitioners, nursery nurses, teachers, librarians, and museum facilitators.
All childcare professionals benefit from these fun, highly interactive sessions. We explore hands-on play opportunities that enhance communication, improve storytelling techniques, and build lasting creative confidence that directly benefits young children and their families.
Every module is mapped closely to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, showing staff how spontaneous creative arts fulfill key learning stepping stones.
Format & Structure
- Duration: Delivered as half-day (3 hours) or comprehensive full-day (6 hours) INSET or CPD workshops.
- Lead Artists: Facilitated by experienced early years creative director Rachel Riggs and associate Liz Fitzgerald Taylor.
- Setting Options: Hosted in-house at your nursery, library, gallery, or community centre.
- Group Size: Recommended 10–25 participants for hands-on crafting and interactive feedback.
The Power of the Puppet
Why puppets break down barriers for reluctant communicators. Overcoming self-consciousness and developing animated puppet voices and movement.
Transforming Everyday Objects
Heuristic play principles: taking spoons, teapots, sponges, and scrap fabrics to construct impromptu storytelling characters with zero budget.
Child-Led Story Environments
Throwing away rigid scripts. Creating enabling environments where children direct the narrative and educators serve as responsive ‘play catalysts’.
“Brilliant training session, very useful in our everyday work and I feel much more confident using puppets in my sessions. Really enjoyed this course and would recommend to other members of staff at work.”
— Bookstart Practitioners, Wigan Libraries