0-2 years

The learning opportunity being focused on is trying to teach children aged birth - 2 years the
alphabet and what letters look like. Educators exposing children to the alphabet will achieve
this and it's letters in many different ways. The outcomes to be addressed from children
responding and making these activities are Outcomes 1 and 4 of the Early Years Learning
Framework for Australia.

Responding to visual arts
Resources required:
- Alphabet song
- Alphabet flash cards
Or
- 24 pieces of paper containing each letter of the alphabet
Activities undertaken:
- Gather children in a group
- Children will be exposed to the alphabet by the educator singing the alphabet song
numerous times to help cement the alphabet in their long-term memory.
- The alphabet song has a certain tune/ rhythm to it, which can also be pivotal in
helping young children remember the order of the letters.
- Educator should then bring out the flash cards/ paper containing the letters and
present them to the children, allowing them to visualise what the letters look like
and sound like, as well as get an idea of items starting with particular letters.
- This will help children in the future with their reading and writing skills.

Making visual arts
After exposing children to the alphabet a great artistic activity to cement this new found
learning in their brains is to allow children to pick their favourite letter and re create it.
*Note: As children are too young to write for themselves educators are to provide them
with a piece of paper containing their favourite letter on it.
Resources required:
- A4 pieces of paper containing one letter of the alphabet on it
- Pencils, paint or crayons
- Glue
- Decorations such as: Feathers, Buttons, Cellophane, glitter etc.
Activities undertaken:
- Children are to choose their favourite letter and freely choose how they wish to
decorate it
- Children should be able to recognise the letter they have chosen and say it out aloud

Learning outcomes:
The learning outcomes these responding and making learning opportunities activities relate
to are Outcome 1 and 4 of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
Outcome 1:
- Singing the alphabet along with an educator allows children to feel safe, secure
and supported as they are being guided through the song.
- Children will be able to gain the confidence to sing the alphabet alone if exposed to
it numerous times, developing their autonomy.
Outcome 4:
- Decorating their favourite letter how they please replicates their creativity,
imagination and enthusiasm.
- This activity also allows them to develop their experimentation skills by
choosing different decorations to apply to their letter, as well as their researching
and investigating skills by choosing their favourite letter.
- Partaking in the alphabet song and flash cards activity, children are able to transfer
and adapt what they've just learnt over to the making activity and recognise their
favourite letter and saying it out loud.


3-5 years
The learning opportunity being focused on is trying to enhance the imagination of children
aged 3-5 years old, by teaching them all about fairy tails and fictional characters. The
outcomes to be addressed from children responding and making these activities are
Outcomes 4 and 5 of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.

Responding to visual arts
Resources required:
- Picture storybooks of well-known fairy tales such as Cinderella, Pinocchio, Little red
riding hood and Peter Pan etc.
Activities undertaken:
- Gather children in a group
- Children will be exposed to a range of different picture storybooks about famous
fairy tales such as Cinderella, Pinocchio, Little red riding hood and Peter Pan etc.
- Children will be asked to discuss with their peers their favourite characters from the
storybooks and what they liked and disliked about each book.

Making visual arts
After exposing children to many fairy tales and fictional characters a great artistic activity to
allow children to expand on their fantasy knowledge is to allow them to recreate their own
masks.
Resources required:
- Blank masks
- Coloured pencils, textas, crayons or paint
- Glue
- Decorations such as patterned material, coloured paper, cotton balls, feathers etc.
Activities undertaken:
- Children are to get a mask and decorate like their favourite fictional character or use
their imaginations and create something unique.
- Children should then be able to put their masks on their faces and act like their
chosen character, or if they have created a unique mask usd their imagination to
create a unique character.

Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes these responding and making learning opportunities activities relate
to are Outcome 4 and 5 of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
Outcome 4:
- To be able to create a mask that looks or replicates in some form their favourite
fictional character or fairy tale, children will have to have knowledge about it
therefore developing their researching and investigating skills.
- Children are resourcing their own learning by using their imaginations and
connecting with stories.
- Childrens dispositions for learning are improved such as their creativity, curiosity,
imagination and confidence through re creating characters.
Outcome 5:
- When discussing with their peers their favourite fictional characters and fairy tales,
children are interacting verbally with others.
- Listen to the educator carefully read them picture storybooks, children are engaging
with a range of texts and gaining meaning from them.
- Through imitating their favourite character children are expressing their ideas and
making meaning of them.