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During this activity, children will build a powerful memory skills as they will listen to the certain sound and then remember or recognize the sound. This will also help children in sharpening their listening and focusing ability. I can relate this to assessment 2 because usually in outdoor activities we can listen to different sounds such as birds, leaves or rivers. This activity will help children recognize the sounds quickly which will also help them in focusing their work or task given. Children will be more aware about the surroundings and can quickly identify the sounds.  “Music at early ages helps children express themselves and share feelings.” (Baltagi, n.d.) When children are listening to certain sounds, they are not only listening to the sounds but also expressing themselves through movement. This will also build their confidence and help them communicate freely.

Steps:

Materials:

-A few different objects that makes different sound (water bottle, book, wrapper)

-Scarf to cover their eyes

What to do:

-I blindfolded all 3 children and place them in a line facing me. Then, I collected few different objects and asked them to guess the sounds.

-As they were blindfolded, I made different sounds Infront of them and asked them what sound it might be?

I can connect this to Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

Children become active participants while they are focusing on such games and experimenting and engaging with their senses.

Reflection

Children were highly engaged throughout activity, but some children were copying each other’s answer. Next time, I will separate them in a pair or give each of them different things to guess as they were listening to each other’s answer and repeating it. In early childhood settings, this activity showed me the importance of adapting and getting comfortable with the environment. This activity helped me view art in an expressive and artistic way. I understood that this activity will help children regulate their emotions and communicate through their body language.

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During this activity, children will develop their listening skills as they need to listen to the beat of sounds and perform the activity. This activity will also help them develop their imaginative skills as they must remember, imagine and move with the beat. I can relate this to assessment 2 because we can replace the sounds of music/hands clapping to sounds of trees or leaves. This activity will help children develop their sound awareness and connect to nature. “Children need opportunities to touch and sense through a changing landscape” (Dance Teaching Ideas, 2020) Children can relate and interact directly to the nature world which helps them experience a changing landscape according to their senses and touch. This will also help them build a sense of belonging and place in the world around them.

Steps:

Materials:

-A drum

-Taking them barefoot to the grass so that they can feel the nature

-Make a beat and let them understand that we are going to move with the beat. If the beat is slow, we are moving in a slow formation and if the beat is fast, we are moving in a fast formation.

-Change the accordingly and ask them to freeze in middle so that they stop and listen to the next sound.

I will connect this to the VEYLF. Learning and Development Outcome: Communication

Children usually use nonverbal communication to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings which allows them to understand the sensory experience.

Reflection

Children responded to the beat with curiosity, but the boy found it challenging it to move in the beat. Some of them got distracted when they were asked to freeze but all of them catch the rhythm and was able to catch the cues. The space was also a little small for them to walk freely so next time I will make sure the space is big enough for them to move around freely. But in my future practice, I will use sound and movement to support sensory and creative exploration. The sound of nature reflects their surroundings as an inspiration for self-expression in future practices. Overall, I have learnt that music is a powerful source that supports both emotional and social development. Whereas movement is not only motor development but also supports creativity and confidence.

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During this activity, children are most likely to build their confidence in role play and communicating which will also help them enhance their communication and language skills. “The environments where children play have an effect on them and the quality of their play.” (The Importance of Pretend Play in Natural Settings, n.d.) During this drama activity, children are most likely to build their confidence and communication skills through out the role play. So, the environment where children play a vital role in expressing themselves can help them feel free and open. As EYLF highlights that “the environment where children have an effect in them and the quality of play.” A thoughtful drama-based activity where creativity, communication, role play, and meaningful social interaction are encouraged.

Steps

-Firstly, introduce the game and explain the rules. “We are going to act like animals now! I will spell out an animal name and you will act like that animal.”

-Call out the animal’s name and ask them to act like it and make a sound of the animal like cat, frog, snake.

-They act freely using their own thoughts.

I can connect this to Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

Children’s have a strong sense of wellbeing where they express their emotions through sounds, movements and roleplay. This will help them develop their physical coordination and confidence skills.

Reflection

The children were highly engaged was very excited when I talked to them about the steps of this activity. But as we can see in the video, they got overly excited which led them to not focus properly on times. Next time, I might use visual cues to help them see it and act out better. Next time, I might take them to a better and bigger space so that they have enough space to act out. I might ask them to just act it out by their own rather than playing around with other kids as that might create conflict among each other. I think this activity is very effective for children that are shy and very bad at communicating. I will incorporate more imagination and sound-based activities in future that allows a freedom of expression. This activity has given me more confidence to add these creative activities in daily practice.

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‌ AGDE. (2022). Belonging, Being and becoming: the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (V2.0). In ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

‌ Baltagi, I. (n.d.). How music affects your baby’s brain: Mini parenting master class. Www.unicef.org.https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-development/how-music-affects-your-babys-brain-class

Dance Teaching Ideas. (2020, June 7). Creative Dance for Early Childhood |. Dance Teaching Ideas. https://danceteachingideas.com/creative-dance-movement-for-toddlers/

Department of Education and Training. (2016). Victorian early years learning and development framework. Department of Education and Training. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf

The Importance of Pretend Play in Natural Settings. (n.d.). Www.communityplaythings.com. https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/the-importance-of-pretend-play-in-natural-settings

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