Portfolio Page 1.2

Outcome 1.2 – Explains how young children’s literacy and numeracy learning can be socially conveyed through their behaviour, feelings or approach

Last week at my placement I had the opportunity to observe two children playing in the sand pit. I will name the two children Jack and Joshua for confidentiality reasons. In this experience that they were taking part in, I was able to observe how their literacy and numeracy learning was being socially conveyed through what they were doing in the sand pit.

The teachers at the kindergarten put out different sorts of equipment for the children to use in the sand pit, some of the equipment that is provided are pots, pans, cups, bowls, shovels, rakes, plates and there’s a wooden oven. Early during the day Jack and Joshua decided to use the pots and pans in the sand pit. I wanted to observe them to see what they were doing with the pots and pans and I found it incredible to see what they were doing. Jack and Joshua decided to make cakes with the pots and pans that they were provided with. What I found incredible was how descriptive they spoke to each other about how they were making the cakes and I realised that they had seen this modelled behaviour at home. When using the pots and pans, Joshua was telling Jack that he was putting two cups of sugar into the mixing bowl and then putting in white sugar, bicarbonate soda, flour, honey, maple syrup and golden syrup. It thrilled me when I heard him talking about these ingredients as I hadn’t heard any of the children speak like that before when describing how they were making a cake in the sand pit. Joshua said he was making a tropical honey cake. He was also showing body language that he would’ve learned from cooking at home with his mother, as he was mixing the pretend mixture together and he was making sure that there were enough ingredients in the mixture. He even knew that it was called batter and he told Jack when he was putting it in the oven and how long it should be in the oven for until it was cooked. I asked Joshua if he had cooked a cake before and he said that he had with his mother which is why he was able to be very descriptive in what he was saying about making the cake. Through this experience, the children were able to use different vocabulary, they were communicating together, they were using numeracy concepts when pretending to measure the ingredients that they needed and they were using the proper equipment that you would use when cooking.

This experience that I was able to observe shows how children can socially convey the literacy and numeracy experiences that they have modelled to them by other people and their parents. Children are able to learn a lot through what their parents do and it really does help children to develop their numeracy and literacy skills. Through what Jack and Joshua were doing in the sandpit, they were using proper vocabulary that you would use when cooking a cake which was really impressive as they were only 4 years old. It just shows that young children are able to learn anything if they are given the opportunity and we cannot underestimate children or limit them. This experience also inspires me to provide many experiences like that in the early childhood centre that I work in so that children have the opportunities to be able to put into practice the literacy and numeracy concepts that they have learned through what has been modelled from their parents such as cooking, working in the kitchen or talking on the phone.  I think this also has helped me to be more aware of what we do model to children as they will often try to imitate what adults do. So we as adults need to make sure that what we say and do around the children will positively help the children with their literacy and numeracy development.