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Department of Education and Training 2016, Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) Department of Education and Training, Melbourne

<https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf>

Fincham, E. N. (2016). Words and bodies: reimagining narrative date in a toddler classroom. In W. Parnell & J. M. Lorio (Eds.), Disrupting early childhood education research: imagining new possibilities (pp. 107–123). Taylor and Francis. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=4219220&ppg=107

EISBN: 9781317558521

Nolan, A. and Raban, B. (2015) Theories into Practice. Blairgowrie: Teaching Solutions

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In what ways do I listen and respond to all forms children’s communication?

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Do children often connect songs with their play? Are they making meaning through music beyond educator/child interactions?

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How is a child’s unspoken voice interpreted?

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I consider Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (Nolan & Raban 2015). I believe myself to be strong in musical intelligence, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences. I think this contributes to why music is such a big part of my practice as an educator. I wonder if children who have strong musical, and body-kinaesthetic intelligences are also drawn to learning through music, actions and dance through our interactions.  Upon reading Fincham, E. N. (2016). Words and bodies: reimagining narrative date in a toddler classroom. I see strong correlations between the findings presented in this reading and my observations of children connecting and communicating with music.

“If I, the adult teacher, let go of this verbal push, a lens opens up to see how the bodily performance here provides another, quite powerful, site of understanding and meaning making, calling attention to the skill with which very young children communicate nonverbally” (pp. 108).

I believe this aligns with these moments I’ve documented here, where children’s complex and varied ways of communicating, both with their bodies and verbally are evident. I’m interested in how children communicate and portray their knowledge of songs they have learnt, to educators, peers, their families and in their play.

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As I reflect on my interactions here with children and analysis these moments, I realise these genuine moments are made possible through my trusting and reciprocal relationships with children VEYLDF, 2016 (pp. 11).  As I have spent 1-2 years with some of these children. I always use singing songs with actions as a tool when forming these relationships. A song can calm distress, draw attention and I see how great songs are for infant and toddler communication development. I wanted to consider this in a deeper way. I recognised when writing these moments that many of the children don’t actually sing along to a full song with me verbally. And yet, knowing these children so well I feel we communicate back and forth through songs constantly. I feel I know children’s current favourite couple of songs, and I know which songs in my repertoire they know and respond to. This hasn’t just happened it’s unfolded through a process of warm interactions.

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"Shhh" Grace hushed, holding her finger to her mouth looking over at Jay laying beside her. "see the little bunnies sleep until it's noon shall we try and wake them with a merry tune" i sang. "they're so still, are they ill?" The children start giggling and wiggling about anticipating the next part of the song when it's time to jump up. "No! wake up bunnies!" I shout and we all get up and begin jumping "hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop. Hop little bunnies hop, hop, hop. Hop little bunnies hop, hop, hop. Hop annnddd..." I sing. "STOP!" Jay belows ending the song. "again!" they all shout, some of them already laying down again.

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I was singing a couple of songs with a group of children, they were requesting which songs like wanted through actions or verbally. "what song should we do next?" I wondered. Jem lay on the ground looking up at me. George seemed to know exactly what song she may have been thinking of "oh yes, hop little bunnies!" He said, jumping up and down the finding some space on the ground to lay down as well. "Hop, hop, hop!" Pip cried, jumping up and down and nodding. "Ok lay down little bunnies" i whispered lowering my hands and crouching down to pretend to sleep.

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"Then he went to bed with a bubble in his throat” we hold our hands to the side of our faces to go to bed, the hold our hands out as if forming an imaginary bubble. This is when the children’s excitement really seems to rise, they all look to each other and me eyes widening, grins growing. We expand our bubbles “bubble, bubble, bubble… pop!” they all sing with me clapping to pop there bubbles at the end. “Aw all our bubbles popped!” I laugh with them. “Again!” Grace shouts. So we repeat The tiny turtle song again. This time I hold back on some lyrics and actions for a moment longer to see if the children can take the lead and remember the sequence of the song themselves at least one child in the group always knows the next move, keeping the song flowing. We finish that song and the next request comes in from George “baa baa?” he says tapping his hands on his knees which is the action we do with baa baa black sheep. “Ooh baa baa black sheep? Good idea” I agree and the sing along continues!

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We were all engaging in indoor/outdoor play. Jay approached me and holding one hand on top of the other moving his two joined hands about in front of me, his eyes widening and eyebrows raising as he looked at me. “would you like to sing tiny turtle Jay?” I asked him with a smile, he nodded and smiled back, “turtle!” he exclaimed. “Ok let’s do it together, here’s my turtle too” I said putting my hands together like his. Two more children Grace and George had now come to join us. “I had a tiny turtle, his name was Tiny Tim, I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim” I sang. The children all held their hands together making turtles with me, they danced about as I sang, swaying or bobbing their heads to the beat. “He drank up all the water” I continued pausing to pretend to drink up my pretend glass of water. The children always seem to giggle at this part and join in, slurping their own pretend waters as we all look at each other joyously. “And he ate up all the soap!” I sing and then we all pretend to munch up some soap and giggled again.

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Harry had taken notice and held his hand out to me, “round round?” he asked. “Oh, hello Harry, can Harry have a turn too?” I wondered. Jay frowned “eh!” he replied grabbing at my hand. “We could all do it together” I then suggested. Keeping one palm out for Jay and using my other hand to begin circling Harry’s up facing palm.

Soon Reggie and Pip gathered around too. “round round!” Reggie exclaimed, joining Jay on my left hand. He gave him a smile almost and Jay smiled back. “Reg” Jay said. “Yes Reg can do round and round too!” I cheered. So Pip and Harry shared one of my palms and Reggie and Jay shared the other as I sand the song. They all giggled and smiled at each other. “round round” they all began chanting along with me. “Tickle under there!” Pip exclaimed.

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I was outdoors engaging with some children when Jay came close to me, he grabbed my hand and flipped it over, pointing his finger onto my palm and moving it around in a circle. I interpreted this as a requested for the song “round and round the garden” which I had been doing with him often as of late. “would you like to do round and round the garden Jay?” I asked giving him a smile. “Yeah” he replied, fixing his eyes on mine and nodding his head. “Ok, ready, round and round the garden, like a teddy bear…” I sang. As I sang Jay gently moved his pointed finger around in a circle on my palm. As went through my tone became more excited and expectant, building to the ending of the song where it says, “tickle you under there” and we tickle each other. Jay’s face changed as I sang too, his smile widening and his eyes darting between the action he was doing on my hand to my face. Once the tickle ensued there was lots of giggles coming from us both. “Again” Jay said afterwards.