WEEK 6

July 1, 3 and 4

Understanding and supporting exceptionality

In the baby room, The setup book corner with soft cushions and a few toys. Several babies were playing quietly in this cozy area. I joined them by sitting down at their level, gently picking up a book and showing it to the babies. I spoke softly and naming pictures and encouraging the babies to touch the pages and explore the toys nearby. I was responding to their sounds and gestures by smiling and mimicking their actions which helped to build trust which encouraged communication. I encouraged sharing and taking turns with the toys and books which helped establish the open, safe space that the babies needed to explore and be with all of us. This experience supported EYLF Outcome 1, where the babies develop a strong sense of belonging through positive, responsive interactions (Department of Education, 2022). It supported Outcome 5, stimulating early language development and social competence. Positive environment is on NQS Quality Area 3 that is conducive to building inclusive and safe environments for the children and Quality Area 5 that led to the children have more established respectful relationships with the educators (ACECQA, 2018).This reflection is grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, emphasising how supportive environments and relationships contributes to childrens development. (Bronfenbrenner, 1979).

 

 

Understanding and guiding children's behaviour

I introduced emotion cards in the group time displaying facial expressions such as happy, sad, angry, and surprised. I named each emotion and encouraged the children to mimic the expressions and share moments when they felt those emotions. then i provided gentle prompts for children who were quieter or less confident to help them participate. I also observed that the children were more aware of their feelings and began to use words or gestures to express themselves. Some children who were initially shy showed increased engagement as the activity progressing. This interaction helped children to develop emotional recognition, an essential skill for managing behaviour positively. These activity supports EYLF Outcome 1 by fostering a strong sense of identity and emotional wellbeing, and Outcome 5 by encouraging communication and language development (Department of Education, 2022). It connects with Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory as learning about emotions occurs through social interaction and scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978). it aligns with NQS Quality Area 5, which stresses the importance of respectful and responsive relationships with children (ACECQA, 2018). With this experience, I developed a deeper understanding of how to and when to guide children’s behaviour by helping them to recognise and communicate their emotions in a supportive and fun environment.

 

Curriculum approaches and teaching strategies

 

In my last day of placement in the baby room, I set up a simple dinosaur fossil hunting experience to support sensory exploration and early communication. I used soft playdough to create fossil shapes, which I let it dry and then gently buried in a shallow tray of sand and i added dinosaur toys and large pictures to create an engaging environment. I sat with the babies as they explored the tray using their hands, spoons, and brushes. I modelled actions like digging and gently named emotions and objects “That’s a fossil!”, “You found a bone!” to support their early language development. The babies showed curiosity as they touched the textures and watched me demonstrate how to uncover the play dough fossils. Some children gestures or simple words to respond, while others smiled or made sounds. This activity supported EYLF Outcome 1, which helped babies feel secure and supported in exploring a new sensory experience. which is also linked with Outcome 5, by encouraging early communication through modelling, repetition, and shared attention (Department of Education, 2022). This activity reflect Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory where babies learned from interaction and imitation (Vygotsky, 1978). It also aligns with NQS Quality Area 1, focusing on meaningful learning experiences, and Quality Area 3, with a safe and engaging learning environment (ACECQA, 2018; ACECQA, 2023). By following the children’s interests and responding to their cues, I supported their sense of curiosity and belonging in a playful fun and nurturing way.