Murray House
Infants
‘Squat and Stand Painting’
Story by Educator Yoshi
Last week in Murray House infants the children enjoyed an art experience that was also designed to support the development of their gross motor skills, strengthen their core muscles and promote body balance, control and weight shifting. A paint pallet was placed on the floor and the children were encouraged to get the colour paint on their brushes while squatting and to then stand to create their artworks. The squatting and standing movements helped the children to build their muscle strength and stability.
Robinson House
Exploring Our New Art Space
Story by Educator Cathy
Last week in Robinson House the children had a wonderful time creating in our newly renovated art space. As the children had a choice of materials to create with, a variety of artworks were made. The children enjoyed creating with collage materials and watercolour paints, working on easels, painting on a large canvas in a group experience and using drawing tools such as crayons and pencils to create some wonderful drawings.
As the children engaged in various creative art experiences, they had the opportunity to promote and build on their self-expression skills through creativity and imagination. The children also had the opportunity to develop their fine motor skills as they held the drawing and painting tools. The children were very focused as they created their art, and they were enormously proud of their work.
Community Playgroups
Story by Playgroup Coordinator Rebecca
At our playgroups you may have noticed that activities are set up to provide opportunities for children to either play alongside others on their own or to play together.
In these photos you can see two different activities. One activity allowed the children to either work together to create ‘potions’, or to create their own potions while in the same space as others where they could still practice their sharing and turn taking skills. In the sandpit activity, as you can see, the children are working together with a shared purpose.
Activities such as these help our children to develop their social skills through listening and paying attention to others. Shared play experiences help children to explore their feelings and develop empathy towards others. They also provide opportunities for children to develop important life skills such as problem-solving, leadership and creative thinking.
Cooperative play is an incredibly important skill for children to develop, but sometimes it can also be difficult to acquire. That is why we provide as many opportunities as possible for children to practice these skills through play. It is important for us to remember that children develop and acquire these skills in their own time and at their own pace, and for this reason it is vital that we avoid comparing what one child is doing to another.
As educators and parents, it is up to us to ensure that our children are given many opportunities to practice these skills in a fun and supportive environment.
