Analysis of a Learning Story: Fine Motor Skills and Collage Making

This assignment presents a learning story focusing on the development of fine motor skills in preschool children through collage making activities. The story details an observation of four children (Ryon, Martha, Cathy, and Ron) engaged in a collage-making project, highlighting their enthusiasm, challenges, and the teacher's interventions. The children, initially motivated by YouTube tutorials, chose to create a landscape instead of a fish collage, demonstrating their autonomy and creative thinking. The assignment analyzes the children's engagement, the challenges they faced in tearing and sticking paper, and the teacher's assistance in structuring the drawing and choosing colors. The analysis connects the activity to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, emphasizing the children's effective communication through drawing and the development of fine motor skills. The reflection highlights the importance of preschool group activities in fostering cooperation and providing insights into children's behavioral patterns. The assignment also includes references to relevant literature on fine motor skill development and the role of art and craft in early childhood education.

Learning story 1
Child: Ryon, Martha, Cathy and Ron (4-5 years)
Date:
Context: Collage making (Fine motor skill development)
Developing fine motor skills by drawing
Phase 1
I have decided to observe Ryon, Martha, Cathy and Ron with the aim to assess their overall development in this care center.
Today’s activity was entirely based arts and crafts. In order to motivate the children, I had downloaded some YouTube tutorials
to teach to arouse motivation in children and encourage them in collage making and fine line drawing. Initially, showed an audio
visual of some simple pictures and how the painter is using different approaches in drawing. Finally I showed a collage of a fish
and asked the children if they are interested in making the collage.
Phase 2
All the children takes part in investigating what I required for making the collage. They surfed the internet and found out the
procedure for making the collage and also found out some of the online tutorials.
Martha came and handed me with the list of sources that are required for making the collage. It seemed that they were not
making the fish, but were making something else. So out of curiosity, I asked “What are you trying to make?” “A landscape” said
Ryon. I understood, that the children were not drawing the fish, instead they are more interested making a landscape out of
collage.
Phase 3
I observed that that the children were almost done with the collage making, but they were facing difficulties in making the
collage, as the landscape seemed to be a difficult try, fishes would have been more I assisted them to structure the drawing first
and helped them in choosing colors of the crafts paper. I advised them that newspapers can be used for making collage. In
order to assess the children, I gave some assignments for the home that will strengthen their fine motor skills. While obtaining
feedback from the parents, they have stated that all the children loved to draw and spend more time in doing the arts and the
crafts. They he would play with the notebook and the crayons for long hours. The teachers drew pictures of teddy bear for him,
would make paper collages. As stated by the parents, the creative thinking of all the children are also developing day by day as
they have started to draw many more things.
Children’s comments:
“ We love to make collages and we enjoy it more than studying or outdoor play”

Analysis:
It is evident from the activities, that all the children were enthusiastic about art and craft. They had developed a sense
of autonomy with their age, as it is evident that none of the children chose to make the fish collage but chose a different
design on their own. The fine motor skills of the children are yet to be developed as they were facing difficulties in
tearing the paper chips and sticking them on the paper.
Link to outcomes/Further learning:
Art and crafts, are important form of communication. Children cannot always express themselves by using the words and the
actions. One can get an insight of the child’s thoughts and feelings with the help of their drawings. Being able to express what
they are feeling like also boost up the interest of the child. Again, fine line drawings also improves fine motor skills in the child,
like holding the pencil in a proper way while drawing (Gerde, Foster & Skibbe, 2014). Drawing has also been useful in some
fundamental skills like the hand eye coordination. It helps in fine tuning the muscles of the fingers. Drawing has also been
found to be enhancing the creativity in a child.
Outcome 5: “Children are effective communicators”
(The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, 2017)
As per the learning outcomes, children engage by using a range of texts and modalities. In this case Ryon, had been using
drawing to express his feelings, that he is happy enough. Children express ideas and usually make meanings by using a range
of media.
Reflection :
I believe that the preschool group activities are important for children as it helps in the developmental growth of the child, fosters
sense of cooperation among the child, encourages interaction in child. Setting up small group opportunities and observing and
recording them has helped me getting an insight to the actual behavioral pattern of children. Hence, I have observed a group of
four children while they were busy in their art and crafts activity.

References
Gerde, H. K., Foster, T. D., & Skibbe, L. E. (2014). Beyond the pencil: Expanding the occupational therapists’ role in
helping young children to develop writing skills. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2(1), 5.
The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, (2017). Being, Belonging and Becoming, (2017).Access
date: 11.6.2019.Retrieved
from:https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_earl
y_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf