LD 102, Child Development and Learning, Task 2: Activity for Ezaan Ali

This assignment presents a detailed plan for a learning activity designed to enhance the fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination of a young child named Ezaan Ali, based on observations from a previous role-playing scenario. The activity, titled "Building a House for Shrek, the Ogre, in his Swamp," involves a group of four children using play dough, wooden tees, and toy hammers to construct a house. The educator guides the children through the activity, incorporating green and brown crepe paper, glue, and scissors for decoration. The rationale for choosing this activity stems from Ezaan's observed difficulties with fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The activity aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) outcomes, focusing on children's wellbeing, confidence, involvement in learning, strong sense of identity, and connection to the world. The assignment details learning outcomes, developmental outcomes, teaching strategies, and references to support the activity's effectiveness in promoting children's development across various domains, including fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, and social interaction. The activity provides open-ended opportunities for independent and cooperative play.

LD 102 CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING task 2
A RELEVANT LEARNING EXPERIENCE based on the previous scenario TO SUPPORT THE CHILD’S
ONGOING DEVELOPMENT
Submitted by:
Tooba Qureshi
S10027934

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DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY, SELECTED FOR
EZAAN ALI
“BUILDING A HOUSE FOR SHREK, THE OGRE, IN HIS SWAMP”
The observation records of Ezaan Ali indicates towards the fact that the fine motor skills
of the child needs to be developed further and requires strengthening. Hand eye
coordination is something that the toddlers should definitely work on. Ezaan was observed
during the role play (previous scenario) to rely on tea pouring, putting on a serviette and
later taking off his coat, totally on Mama Bear. He had difficulty in performing particular
manipulation tasks as well (i.e. buttoning up of clothes, threading, or doing the shoelaces)
He preferred to get others to accomplish the fine motor tasks for him under his direction,
instead of doing it all by himself.
The pre-schooling hammering tees are excellent tools for the development of the fine
motor schools and hand eye coordination. It also develops gross motor skills and teaches
valuable life skills. Activity is to be conducted in a group of 4, again.
The activity:
 Play dough was provided to each child A packet of wooden tees and a plastic hammer is given. The educator will first tell them a story of how Shrek needs a new house built in his
nearby swamp ( to put Donkey, especially! and other friends, out of his private life
with his family)

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 Show how to poke a tee in the play dough with just a tap with the hammer. Each of the child will then start poking the tees in to the soft play dough with the
help of a toy hammer. The educators provides green and brown crape paper, glue and scissors to children
so that they decorate the surroundings of the swamp house, further.
LEARNING RESOURCES AND MATERIALS
REQUIRED; LEARNING SPACE PREPARATION:
For the sensory coordination and enhancement, Ezaan will be provided with the following
resources:
 Coloured play dough
 Glue stick, crape papers and safe scissors
 A toy hammer
RATIONALE FOR
CHOOSING THE ACTIVITY
 Hammering tees

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 It is evident from the observations, that Ezaan struggles with hand eye coordination
skills and faced challenges to grasp objects and showed sparsity in the ability to sit down
or jump quickly. He was not able to perform tasks on his own and had to depend on the
mama bear.
 Hand eye coordination can be referred to as the use of the eyes, to direct the muscles
towards task like, brushing or combing hair. Initially the processing of the visual inputs
occurs in brain. The brains then send signals to the muscles for moving to a specific
location, identifying the eye movement and establishing focus (Gaul and Issartel 2016).
Finally, the muscles need fine motor skills or the capability to use small muscles for the
precision of grasping smaller objects.
 Development of hand eye coordination and fine motors skills ultimately helps in visual
acuity and many activities of daily living like writing, pouring, manual handling and
sports (Wicks et al. 2015)
 Manipulation of play dough helps in the strengthening of the hand muscles, fine motor
skills as well as the bilateral coordination skills. Furthermore, it also provides a great
sensory medium. The play dough can be squished, squashed, pounded (Proprioceptive)
to provide children themselves with a pressure handling perceptive as well as a tactile
feedback.
LEARNING OUTCOMES FROM EYLF
“Children have a strong sense of wellbeing” EYLF outcome 3
3.2 Develop increasing responsibility for their own health and physical well-being

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 Exhibits fine motor skills needed for the actions like as drawing, painting, cutting,
use of nail and hammer
 Seeking out and accepting new challenges, exploring, and appreciating their own
efforts and accomplishments and those of others
 Combine gross and fine motor movement and balance
“Children are confident and involved learners”- EYLF outcome 4
4.1- Children develop dispositions for the learning like curiosity, confidence, cooperation,
creativity, zeal, perseverance, imagination and reflexivity (Australian Government
Department of Education Employment and Workforce Relations for the Council of Australian
Governments 2009)
 In this context it can be said that the learning environment that should be provided
has to be flexible and open ended, such that interaction might occur freely. Children
in their learning uses play for investigating and imagining new ideas.
 The learning environments should be planned with suitable levels of difficulties
where children are encouraged to explore, experiment and take risks (Australian
Government Department of Education Employment and Workforce Relations for the
Council of Australian Governments 2009) where children easily manipulate the
resources for investigation, assemble, invent and construct.
“Children have a strong sense of identity” EYLF — Outcome 1
1.4 Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect.
“Children are connected with and contribute to their world” EYLF — Outcome 2

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2.1 Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities . They also show
an understanding of their mutual rights and accountabilities essential for participating in
the community actively.
2.4 Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.
1. Acknowledging poor Shrek’s problem and hence
2. Building a house for him, with each other’s help and by being respectful towards
mutual consent during the activity
A LIST OF DEVELOPMENTAL LEARNING
OUTCOMES
 Will support hands to the strength, dexterity, and control
 Will improve the hand eye coordination in the child which will help the child do hand
writing and grasping objects, effectively
 Manipulation of the dough, rip the paper in pieces and scissor movement will
improve the cognitive modalities in the child, strengthen brain and muscle
coordination
 Enhance concept of a Shared play by sharing of resources and welcoming
suggestions and ideas from group members
 Learn to take decisions, accept challenges, take risks, cope up with change and cope up
with frustrations.
This activity has provided a scope of lots of open-ended opportunities for children for
experiencing independent and cooperative play, as children are discovering life abilities,

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sharing their understandings and emotions with each-other while building a house for
Poor Shrek!
Hence, this activity also furnishes the Top 3 Principles of the EYLF Program:
1. Safe, courteous and reciprocal relations.
2. Respect for Diversity and Variety.
3. Ongoing Learning process.
A list of teaching strategies identifying how the child will meet the learning outcomes
 Ezaan can be encouraged by the educator to use two hands ,while leading his one
hand e.g. opening playdough jar lid with a hand, while the other hand helps to
stabilise the jar (Bilateral integration)
 Explain and discuss the activity and the resources’ utility
 Encouraging and praising the child when the activity is being conducted
 Scaffolding the play with the children at the time of the activities
 Encouraging satisfaction in participation rather than focusing on a ‘successful’
outcome
 Ask open ended questions from Ezaan during the activity, while hammering the
wooden tees, to make him implore further and to have his interest sustained in the
activity
 Let the child explore how to hold the tees and hammer them in the right direction.
 Help to sustain and restore a positive sense of well-being that is connected to school
preparedness as well as fine motor play skills with friends.
 The teachers will encourage the children to do the activity entirely on their own.

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REFERENCES
1. Australian Government Department of Education Employment and Workforce
Relations for the Council of Australian Governments. 2009. Belonging, being &
becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia. Retrieved
from https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_
becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf
2. Gaul, D. and Issartel, J., 2016. Fine motor skill proficiency in typically developing
children: On or off the maturation track?. Human movement science, 46, pp.78-85.
3. Hsiao, H.S. and Chen, J.C., 2016. Using a gesture interactive game-based learning
approach to improve preschool children's learning performance and motor skills.
Computers & Education, 95, pp.151-162.
4. Regalado, C., 2015. Promoting playfulness in publicly initiated scientific research: for
and beyond times of crisis. International Journal of Play, 4(3), pp.275-284.
5. Wicks, L.J., Telford, R.M., Cunningham, R.B., Semple, S.J. and Telford, R.D., 2015.
Longitudinal patterns of change in eye–hand coordination in children aged 8–16
years. Human movement science, 43, pp.61-66.
6. VEYLDF document PDF. Retrieved from
https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/earlyyears/vfldoutcomes/index.aspx EYLDF Mar
24, 2017