Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 mins

Tune In: Watch the episode

30 mins

Find Out: Nature-based play to develop communication

15 mins

Take Action: Take it further

Tune In: Watch the episode

Step 1.

Begin by watching the Bluey episode The Quiet Game.

Bluey 'The Quiet Game' - ClickView (https://clickv.ie/w/bTgx)

The Quiet Game synopsis: Bluey and Bingo are playing The Quiet Game and won't tell Dad which toy to buy for Muffin, so Dad recruits new store clerk Alfie to help interpret the girls' meaning.

Step 2.

Reflect on the episode using the following prompts

I wonder how Dad felt when the girls were using their messages?
I wonder how Alfie felt on his first day at work, being able to help?
I wonder if we can send messages without using words?

Using questions that begin with “I wonder…” is a great way to get kids to share their own ideas; "I wonder…” questions don’t necessarily have a correct answer, leaving kids open to explore and share their own ideas without fear of being wrong. For more evidence-based advice on developing oral language in children, click here.

Find Out: Nature-based play to develop communication

Preparation

Provide access to natural space that is easily accessible for the children. Ideally, this is part of the learning centre - or it could be a natural space nearby that can be visited with the children and easily supervised by the centre staff.

Step 1.

A Quiet Game

When working in early childhood settings as educators we need to focus on developing many different ways to communicate. Speaking and listening are two ways we communicate. What happens when we remove talking from our communication? Is it possible to share messages with each other clearly? Or does it take more effort to share our messages?

Invite the children to sit and share in a game of secret messages. Give the children two simple rules to follow for the game:

No words are to be spoken - it's a quiet game.
You can only use actions - use your hands and body to share the information.

Step 2.

To begin, encourage the children to create a simple message using the movement of their body and hands. The message can be based on familiar actions that they might be involved in.

Use some of these examples as a helpful start:

eat ice cream
swim in the water
sing a song
dance to music
play sports (football, netball, tennis, soccer or basketball)

or create other ideas to spark the children's imaginations!

Step 3.

As a whole group practise the movement of eating an ice cream. What would that look like? Act it out together. Encourage the children to use slow, careful movements to show the meaning.

Step 4.

To play the quiet game:

Ask the children to choose a partner or quickly pair up the children
Give the children time to think of a message to use
Remind the children to keep the message to themselves
Let the children know that they are welcome to use the ideas shared as a group
Invite the children to act out their message and the partner to make a guess
Ask the children to swap over and let their partner share their message.

Step 5.

Magic Spots

Magic spots are a fun way to focus on the natural wonder in learning centres. They provide important mindfulness breaks for the busy daily life in early learning. Magic spots are a way to interpret information from nature using sensory experiences and receive information and messages about the world that surrounds us. To find a magic spot the children need a natural space to use. This mindfulness game can easily be held in the playground of the early learning centre.

Bring the children together and let them know that they are going on an adventure to find a magic spot.

A magic spot is a place in nature that is found when you are quietly sitting alone and see something interesting.

They are looking for a small space to sit down in and watch nature. It could be as simple as watching the wind move a plant, a piece of bark curled up on a tree, a trail of ants, a flower in focus or a mini-world hidden in the grass.

Step 6.

Provide the children with a few minutes to look for and find their magic spot. Once in their magic spots, the children are encouraged to stay in place for three to five minutes.

Use the small timer to let the children know when it is time to come back. This can be challenging for some, so take time to build up to five minutes. It may take a few goes to get all of the children to focus for this period of time.

The purpose of the mindfulness activity is to make connections and see what the outside world is communicating to us. The seasons are always changing - nature adjusts without words. The messages are communicated to us if we take the time to look.

Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment. It is a state of awareness that provides an opportunity to tune into your thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, the environment and other people. Research has shown mindfulness can help develop resilience, kindness, empathy and compassion. Providing opportunities for children to recognise, verbalise and manage their feelings and emotions is critical in supporting wellbeing, emotional intelligence and resilience. Other benefits of practising mindfulness include improved attention, concentration and focus, as well as the ability to simply be calm and still.

Find out more about mindfulness here.

Step 7.

Bring the children together after three to five minutes. Ask the children to share what happened in the magic spot. Use these questions as a guide to help keep the conversation going:

What did they see? Small messages from nature, ants collecting seeds, flower petals or fruit forming on a plant?
What could they hear? Any natural sounds? Birds, bees, frogs?
What did it feel like? Was there a breeze, sunlight or was it shady?

Step 8.

It’s not always easy to keep the conversation going with a group of young children (although sometimes the opposite is true!). One way of ensuring great conversations is to develop a culture of expectations around your dialogues. For example, encourage children to identify the problem. You can do this by asking:

• What did you see? Can you describe what you saw?
• What happened when you were in your magic spot?

In this way you allow the topic to be opened up for further discussion as well as encouraging children to share their own thoughts and ideas.

Another strategy for keeping the conversation going is to connect to personal experiences. In your talking times, try to create the space and time to link conversations to children's own experiences. Children are more likely to contribute to the discussion if they can relate to the experiences being discussed. And be sure to encourage ideas and opinions; this helps children to understand that their contributions are valued.

Find out more about developing oral language in early childhood here.

Take Action: Take it further

Step 1.

Explore how different people in our community communicate without words.

Ask the children - Can you think of anyone that speaks without using words? They might use signs and symbols?

Explore Auslan sign language with the children and find out how to sign the words for frog, bee, flower etc.

A great clip on Auslan sign language can be found here.

Learn Auslan - Animals - Asphyxia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm26OKVTJb4)

Step 2.

Invite children to play a game of magic spots with their family and friends in their own backyards, and invite them to share what they observed in the backyards when they return.

Communicating - Talking Without Words

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