Early Childhood Education and Child Care: October 2009

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Early Childhood Australia

I have just returned from the Early Childhood Australia Council Meeting held in Sydney. It looks like an exciting year ahead for the organisation. I met some really dedicated Early Childhood Education and Child Care professionals from across Australia. These people displayed a strong level of committment to advocating for the best outcomes for all children. I am looking forward to the year ahead for Early Childhood Australia.

Educational Activities

Contact Collage

Collage is always a fun activity for young children. It allows children to explore a variety of materials and create a design of their own. With young children you often end up with just one or two pieces of collage material glued to the page. While there is nothing wrong with this, many adults find it difficult not to make the child stay to complete the product or complete the collage for the child. Neither of these approaches is of benefit to the young child. The focus should be on the process of collage not the end product.

One way to achieve this is by using contact. A large sheet of contact can be placed on the tabletop and attached to the underside of the table edges to stop movement. Provide a range of collage materials including natural items. The children can add the collage materials throughout
the session. Many children will spend time sticking items to the contact and then pulling them off again. This is an important part of the process and should be encouraged.

This activity provides plenty of opportunity for fine motor development and is excellent for the refinement of the pincer grip from two finger to three. This is the precursor to pencil grip and requires both fine motor development and focal attention. It is important that children are allowed to choose to participate in this activity when they are ready and for as long as they require. If this activity is left out they may return to it on several occasions throughout the session. Use this opportunity to interact with the child and support their language skills in sharing this enjoyable experience. You may end up with a pretty collage to display but you then again you may not. What is important is the process and that the children have been able to practice their skills throughout the session.

Early Childhood Education and Child Care

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Early Childhood Australia

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