Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 mins

Tune In: Watch the episode

30 mins

Find Out: Play time

30 mins

Take Action: Take it further

Tune In: Watch the episode

Step 1

Start by watching the Bluey episode Queens.

Bluey 'Queens' - ClickView (clickv.ie/w/WYH0)

Queens synopsis: During a game of Queens, Bluey and Bingo find playing the butler much more fun. But someone must play the queen, even if it means not being afraid of a bit of hard work.

Step 2

Once the episode has finished, take a few minutes to talk about what children noticed in the episode.

Encourage children to discover themes and lessons from the episode for themselves by explaining that it is open to their interpretation, and they cannot be wrong in terms of what they felt or gathered from the episode. A good way to open up the conversation here could be to use 'I see, I think, I feel and I wonder…' questions. These can be a positive way to help children reflect on their learning, share their ideas and express their emotions.

Using questions that focus on ‘I think...’ statements helps the children share their own thoughts and ideas about what is happening. In forming an ‘I think...’ statement the children begin a thinking process about what they experienced which will build their understanding of an issue and create an opportunity to explore the ideas further in the activities they take part in.

‘I think...’ statements can be used as a starter and can be extended to ‘I know...' after play-based exploration has taken place. For more evidence-based advice on developing oral language in children click here.

You may want to take the conversations further by asking:

What do you think Bluey and Bingo learnt from being the queen?
I wonder how the busy butler felt when they had jobs to do.
Why do you think everyone had a go at being the queen and the butler?

Invite children to share their responses as ‘I think….’ statements.

Find Out: Play time

Preparation

Select a range of dress-ups that children could use to role-play members of a royal family, such as fabric to be used as capes, necklaces, a royal staff (stick or pole) and a crown.

Select other items for dressing up as a butler, such as a hat and a serving tray.
Provide open pieces of fabric to allow the children to create their own costumes for their characters.

Place all dress-up items in one area for the children to use. In addition, provide a selection of chairs and cushions for children to use as thrones.

Play is often seen as just a way for children to stay entertained, but play is actually central to learning and development. Play helps children to:
- build communication and social skills
- learn about the environment and their community
- develop motor skills
- feel happy, safe, loved and empowered
- transfer learnt knowledge
- find success, build confidence and foster a love of learning.

A play-based learning environment naturally fosters active listening and critical thinking. Through play, children explore, create, improvise, and imagine, gaining valuable learning experiences. When playing together, children form social connections, experiment with ideas, challenge each other's thinking, and develop new understandings. Play also offers a supportive space where children can ask questions, solve problems, and engage in deeper thinking. Find out more about the value of play here.

Step 1

Invite children to gather and sit together. As educators, it’s essential to create an environment that fosters imaginative play. Engaging in discussions about the roles of different characters helps children develop social and emotional understanding. This includes recognising each character’s role, considering others’ perspectives, and showing respect for one another.

Start by sharing the different dress-up items with children and asking:

I wonder what these might be used for.

Pull out a few of the items and ask them:

Who might wear this item? What type of person would wear this?
What job might they do? How might they behave?
Would they speak nicely? Remind the children that a good leader speaks nicely and asks politely for things to be done.

Explain to children that a member of the royal family - such as a king or queen - might give orders to others and ask for different things. Pose the following questions:

Who would they ask? Could they be asking a butler, as we saw in the Bluey episode?
I wonder what a butler is. What might their job be?
What type of things do you think a butler might be asked to do?
How do you think might speak to the royal family? Would they be polite and quickly do the jobs or would they be rude and lazy?

Explain to children that even though the queen was in charge in the Bluey episode they watched earlier, she would only ever use polite language to make her requests. And for the butler, even when the queen made silly or wild requests, the butler would never get cross; instead, the butler would always have to respond politely.

Step 2

It is now time to sort the children into either royals or butlers. Explain to children that one member of the royal family may have more than one butler! Remind the children that it is important that children treat each other with care, consideration and respect no matter which role they have. Also, remind children that they will have time to swap roles and experience being a member of the royal family and a butler.

You can allow the children to choose their partners, but join groups together if there are additional children. Before beginning the imaginative play activity, ensure everyone has a part and at least one partner.

As they play, remind children to practise their communication skills. This includes using their listening skills and being polite and patient when using their words, no matter how challenging the game gets.

Step 3

Ask children to work together to create a royal area. Where might members of the royal family hang out? What might members of the royal family member sit on?

Use these guiding questions when setting up the royal areas:

Do you have a throne?
I wonder what we could use as a throne.
I wonder if we can share thrones.
Will the queen or king need to sit all the time or will they move around?

It is now time to let the children role-play!

Some children will find the switching of roles very easy; for others, it will be hard. This is an essential part of children's social and emotional development, helping to build character, foster empathy, and strengthen their sense of self.

Some children may struggle to stay polite when dealing with a 'bossy' queen or king or a 'reluctant' butler. However, these experiences are valuable for their social and emotional development, helping to build character, empathy, self-awareness, and communication skills.

As educators, you can use these guiding questions as prompts for children throughout their play:

How do you feel when you are a butler?
How do you feel when you are a king or queen?
What type of king or queen do you think you will be? Kind and caring or bossy and demanding?
What do these emotions look like and how do each of these emotions feel?
I wonder if you like the challenge of the hard work required to look after the royal family? Some people do, and some don't; both are ok.
What is life like for a king or queen? Is it what you expected or something different?

Step 4

As they play, check in with each group to support children to achieve fairness in the role-play, making sure everyone gets a turn at being a butler and a member of the royal family. Gradually step back as the children gain confidence and take the lead in developing their royal family and butler games.

Take Action: Take it further

Encourage the children to keep switching roles or even to bring new roles into the game - how might a child member of the royal family behave and be treated differently than an adult? What about a cook or gardener - how might their interactions with the royal family be different to a butler?

Hold a group discussion with children around the following questions. Invite children to listen and respond to what each other is saying:

What did you like about being a royal family member or a butler?
What was the hardest part?
Did you like switching and changing roles? Why or why not?

Communicating - The Royal Communication Game

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