Additionally, each item in the journal provides background information on the topic, as well as my own experiences and connections to materials or artistic languages, as well as how we will be using this knowledge to apply it to an early childhood setting with the use of a variety of mediums.

Additionally, musical exposure during childhood can actually enhance brain growth, especially in the areas of language acquisition and reading abilities, according to a study done by the University of Southern California in 2016 (Bright Horizons, 2022).

A study by Fellowes and Oakley (2014), children can increase their vocabulary quickly after birth by improving their spoken language, and teachers can use the following techniques to do so:

I used to play with music as a child to work on my vocabulary. For instance, I repeated the songs as much as I could after listening to them while singing along with the lyrics and making a list of any unfamiliar words I heard.

An illustration of how to teach children about human body parts through singing and dancing is shown in the video above (Wood, Thall & Parnell, 2015 ).

Video link: https://youtube.com/shorts/qogqu9IW0Mo

 

In addition, teachers can practise four different kinds of drama with the children

Mages (2018) underlines that kindergarten teachers can employ the Interactive Storytelling and Creating Activities from Picture Books drama techniques when engaging in the drama activities in addition to the ELTA Head Start intervention drama practises. For instance, teachers can use the narrative pantomime drama method as seen below with the children.

Here, each student "acts it out" on their own after the teacher reads or tells a short story. Each learner can simply imitate the physical movements of the story's protagonist without the use of music, a script, or costumes.
Video Link : https://youtube.com/shorts/1nwOlS0VfEI

Children acquire literacy in a variety of ways, such as through storytelling, creating an alphabet together, and creating and labelling complex structures, according to the emergent literacy theory (Logaridis, Tranter, & Siegris, 2012). Furthermore, I developed my emerging literacy abilities during my childhood by playing with letters and words, listening to stories, and exploring books. Chip Clip Poems, filling puzzles, editable name songs, word replacement for sentences, pocket chart exercises, peek-a-boo games, etc. can all be used to apply emergent literacy concepts. For instance, the Figure 2: Chip Clip Poem card above demonstrates how to play Chip Clip Poems with the fresh items.

In the Chip Clip Poem card has 

……….. sweet strawberries are growing on the tree.

We are going to eat …………… sweet strawberries.

Now we are having ...………..sweet strawberries (repeat)

 

Dadirri, an Aboriginal word from the Ngan'gikurunggurr and Ngen'giwumirri languages of the Daly River region, 220 kilometres south of Darwin, NT, is another name for deep listening. Each First Nation has a unique term for profound listening, knowing, and reflecting during meditation. For instance, the word is Winhangadhurinya in Wiradjuri (Korff, 2023).

My early years were spent listening to stories and songs, but we can also use games like "Be the Boss," "Telephone," "Sound Box Game," "Listen and Find Word Search," etc. But when we use First Nations deep listening in a preschool environment,

 

We can play a few native songs for the children, asking them to listen intently and apply their knowledge to them. For instance, "The Land of Mine" This song's meaning for children is as follows in Figure 3. 

However, we should encourage children to listen to these songs with an open mind, open heart, full attention, and no preconceived notions.

I went to the Clayton library to see how multiliteracy was used there. I saw name tags in various languages, coloured maps with symbols, picture and board books, brief printed notices with illustrations, printed library rules, audio books for children, recycle bin marks, fire extinguishers, magazines, floor rugs with letters, and other examples. Children can understand the graphics and colours. For instance, children are aware that a red fire extinguisher should not be touched and that they might choose a book based on the first letter of the title.

Mimi Marraal (Mother Earth), Sometimes You Fly, Peppa's Dinosaur Party, and Cleaver Crow are the children's picture books I chose. Then, after studying the image of Cleaver Crow in the indigenous book, I wrote up the following tale:

Two crows are watching over something, and one of them took an egg from another bird. However, the crow's egg was later stolen by a kangaroo, which then dropped it into the river. Then, after one guy discovered the egg, the crow once more took it from the people.

However, the story really centres on the starving crow's hunt for food. He discovers and snatches a turtle egg, but things don't exactly go as he had hoped. The egg is chased throughout the Australian bush by the cunning crow, falls into a wallaby's pouch, tumbles into a canoe, and travels all the way back to where it started.

Additionally, the words in the book exactly match the pictures in the Cleaver Crow, and the illustrations are related to the aboriginal drawings and colours. Additionally, the pictures and colours are more attractive, and they used very strong colours for the illustrations, which remind me of the cartoons I used to watch on television. The pictures shifted from page to page in accordance with the narrative, and the characters appeared realistic, giving the ravenous crow more prominence. Because the drawings are so closely tied to the tale, I think the artist created them. To draw the children's attention, numerous typefaces, colours, and sizes were employed when producing this book.

Bright Horizons. (2022). “Children and music: Benefits of music in child development”. https://www.brighthorizons.com/resources/Article/music-and-children-rhythm-meets-childdevelopment#:~:text=Exposing%20children%20to%20music%20during,music%20helps%20strengthen%20memory%20skills.

Fellowes, J., & Oakley, G. (2014). Language, literacy and early childhood education. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 13(1), 131-137.

Hill, S. (2007). Multiliteracies: Towards the future. In L. Makin, C. Jones Diaz & C. McLachlan (eds), Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice, (2nd ed.). (pp. 56–70). Elsevier Australia, Marrickville, NSW.

Korff, J. (2023). “Deep listening (dadirri)”. https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/deep-listening-dadirri 

Logaridis, L., Tranter, K., & Siegris, L, (2012). Make it meaningful! emergent literacy in the kindergarten years, conference paper. 

Mages, W.K. (2018). Does theatre-in-education promote early childhood development?: The effect of drama on language, perspective-taking, and imagination. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 45, 224.

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Kind, S., & Kocher, L.L.M. (2016). Encounters with materials in early childhood education. Routledge. ISBN: 9781317588573

Wood, J., Thall, T., & Parnell, E.C. (2015). The move: Reggio Emilia-inspired teaching. Complicity: An International Journal of Complexity & Education, 12(1), 98–108.