Therapeutic intervention with children relies on the use of play materials as medium for communication. Within Gestalt play therapy play materials are utilised with the assumption that children will project their thoughts and feelings onto the play materials. Projection creates a sense of safety that allows children to discuss information that they generally would not raise. The use of puppets as play technique has many advantages in the therapeutic context. One of the key characteristics of puppets as play technique, is that it tends to enhance communication in the therapeutic context. Puppets are suitable for intervention in individual and group contexts. The goal of this study was to determine the influence of puppets as medium for communication in group work with children in middel childhood. Educational groups that focused on bullying as a topic of discussion were implemented with two groups of children in middle childhood. Bullying has a significant effect on may school-age children and was regarded as an appropriate topic for the groups. The research was based on a mixed methods research approach, with applied research as the type of research. A dominant less dominant research design was followed. A multi-group post-test research design was used for the quantitative research, whereas a collective case study design was used for the qualitative part of the study. Quantitative data collection focused on the communication and the interaction patterns during group sessions where puppets were utilised compared to sessions without the use of puppets. Data were collected by means of structured observation with the use of an observation schedule. Qualitative data collection focused on the responsents? experience of the use of puppets during group work. Semi-structured interviews that were guided by a semi-structured interview schedule were used to collect the qualitative data. A total of 10 respondents were selected by means of purposive sampling from children in middle childhood who attended a after school centre. Simple random sampling were used to divide the respondents into two groups of five respondents each. The two groups were exposed to the same group work programme. The research findings indicate that the use of puppets generally showed positive results in respect of the communication and interaction patterns in the two groups. The use of puppets resulted in an increase of contributions and in the initiation of discussions by the respondents. Furthermore, the respondents showed greater involvement in the group and tended to more readily include other group members in the group discussion. When using puppets, the respondents were were less likely to follow the opinion of other group members. Most of the respondents indicated that they enjoyed talking through the puppets. The use of puppets did however not enhance discussions of sensitive topics that focused on negative elements. Some of the respondents found it difficult to concentrate on the group discussion and manipulate the puppet at the same time and some exhibited more attention seeking behaviours when using the puppets in the group session. The study can be regarded as an exploratory study with a limited number of respondents. The conclusion is made that the use of puppets could benefit the communication and the interaction patterns during group work with children. Due to the promising results, the researcher recommends that further research be conducted on using puppets as medium for communication during group work. / Terapeutiese intervensies met kinders steun op die gebruik van spelmateriale as gespreksmedium. In Gestaltspelterapie word spelmateriale benut met die aanname dat kinders hul denke en gevoelens op die spelmateriale projekteer. Projeksie skep n gevoel van veiligheid wat daartoe bydra dat kinders inligting bespreek wat hul andersins nie sou opper nie. Handpoppe is n speltegniek wat verskeie voordele in die terapeutiese konteks inhou. Een van die uitstaande kenmerke van handpoppe as speltegniek, is dat dit kommunikasie in die terapeutiese konteks kan bevorder. Handpoppe kan tydens individuele intervensie en in groepsverband gebruik word. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die invloed van handpoppe as gespreksmedium tydens groepwerk met kinders in die middelkinderjare te bepaal. Vir die doel van die navorsing is opvoedkundige groepe wat op afkouery as onderwerp fokus met twee groepe kinders in die middelkinderjare geïmplementeer. Afknouery het n groot invloed op talle skoolkinders en is as n gepaste onderwerp vir die groepe beskou. In die studie is n gemengde navorsingsbenadering gevolg, met toegepaste navorsing as die tipe navorsing. n Dominante minder dominante navorsingsontwerp is gevolg. n Multi-groep na-toets navorsingsontwerp is vir die kwantitatiewe navorsing gebruik, terwyl n kollektiewe gevallestudie-ontwerp vir die kwalitatiewe deel van die navorsing gebruik is. Kwantitatiewe data het gefokus op die kommunikasie en interaksiepatrone tydens groepsessies waar handpoppe gebruik is teenoor dié sonder die gebruik van handpoppe. Data is deur middel van gestruktureerde observasie aan die hand van n observasieskedule ingesamel. Kwalitatiewe data het gefokus op die respondente se ervaring van die benutting van handpoppe tydens groepwerk. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die benutting van n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoudskedule is gebruik om laasgenoemde data in te samel. n Totaal van 10 respondente is op grond van doelgerigte steekproefseleksie vanuit kinders in die middelkinderjare wat n naskoolsentrum bygewoon het, geselekteer. Eenvoudige ewekansige steekproefseleksie is gebruik om die respondente in twee groepe van vyf respondente elk in te deel. Dieselfde groepwerkprogram is aan albei groepe aangebied. Die navorsingsbevindinge toon aan dat die benutting van handpoppe oor die algemeen voordelig vir die kommunikasie en interaksiepatrone in die twee groepe was. Dit het tot n verhoging van bydraes en van die inisiëring van gesprekke in die groepe gelei. Die respondente het groter betrokkenheid by die groep getoon en was meer geneig om ander groeplede in die groepsgesprek in te sluit. Respondente was ook minder geneig om bloot die mening van ander te volg wanneer handpoppe gebruik is. Die meeste respondente het aangetoon dat hulle dit geniet het om deur die handpoppe te praat. Die benutting van handpoppe het egter nie daartoe bygedra dat sensitiewe onderwerpe met negatiewe elemente meer geredelik bespreek is nie. Sommige respondente het dit moeilik gevind om gelyktydig op die groepsgesprek en op die manipulering van die handpoppe te fokus, terwyl ander meer geneig tot aandagsoekendende gedrag was wanneer handpoppe gebruik is. Die studie kan as n eksploratiewe studie met n beperkte aantal respondente beskou word. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat die benutting van handpoppe wel die kommunikasie en die interaksiepatrone tydens groepwerk met kinders kan bevorder. Weens die belowende resultate stel die navorser voor dat verdere navorsing oor die benutting van handpoppe as gespeksmedium tydens groepwerk gedoen word. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted