Unpacking imagination in action with Bluey
About this resource
This video presentation explores how educators, parents, and carers can use technologies (e.g., popular television programs) to support children’s participation in imaginative play.
Age range for this resource
For educators, parents, and carers of children aged 12 months to 5 years.
Goal of this resource
To inspire and enrich young children’s imaginative play.
To engage with young children in meaningful and purposeful ways through imaginary play scenarios based on their media interests.
How might educators use this resource?
Watch this video presentation to explore how rich experiences outside of play enhance children’s imagination within play when supported by technology. This video presentation could be used with colleagues as a conversation starter for discussion and shared professional learning.
How might families use this resource?
Watch this video presentation to better understand how your child’s experiences outside of play can enhance their imaginative play. In the Bluey clip, notice how Chloe’s dad connected with her interests in octopi. First, he engaged with technology to develop his own understanding. Then, he invited Chloe into that engagement with technology to learn together. Maybe your child has a special interest that you can research together to extend their imaginative play.
How might organisations use this resource?
Provide a link to this video presentation in a newsletter or in communication with families. Highlight how using technologies to access information, investigate ideas, and represent thinking is a requirement of Belonging, Being, and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022, p. 63). Prepare a short statement for sharing such as: ‘Children’s imagination becomes richer within play the more they see, hear, and experience outside of play. We can purposefully use technologies to stimulate and enrich children’s imaginative play.’
What learning might we see?
Educators, parents, and carers using technologies to extend and enhance young children’s participation in imaginative play.
Young children engaging in collaborative play activities with their peers and adults.
Practice
Acknowledging
Adults notice and recognise children’s interests in and experiences of using digital technologies and interacting with digital media and popular culture.
Area
Play and Pedagogy
Young children have opportunities for play and pedagogy in digital contexts. Play and pedagogy involve children using a range of digital devices for exploration, meaning-making, collaboration, and problem solving. Educators engage in active decision making about the use and non-use of digital technologies for learning.
Connection to relevant standards
Belonging, Being, and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022)
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
Children feel safe, secure, and supported (e.g., Children explore aspects of identity through role play).
Children develop knowledgeable, confident self-identities and a positive sense of self-worth (e.g., Educators provide rich and diverse resources that reflect children’s social and cultural worlds).
Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy, and respect (e.g., Children engage in and contribute to shared play experiences).
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children respond to diversity with respect (e.g., Educators use digital technologies to find answers to questions and document discoveries).
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Children become strong in their social, emotional, and mental wellbeing (e.g., Educators are playful and promote a sense of enjoyment).
Children become strong in their physical learning and mental wellbeing (e.g., Educators use the dramatic arts and role-play for supporting children’s exploration of feelings and opinions).
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Children develop a growth mindset and learning dispositions such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination, and reflexivity (e.g., Educators model inquiry processes, including wonder, curiosity, and imagination, try new ideas, and take on challenges).
Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies, and natural and processed materials (e.g., Children experience the benefits and pleasures of shared learning explorations, investigations, and imaginary play scenarios)
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts (e.g., Children view and listen to printed, visual, and multimedia texts and respond with relevant gestures, actions, comments, and/or questions; Children engage in pretend play that draws on the use of digital technologies).
Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media (e.g., Children view, listen and respond to simple printed, visual, and multimedia texts or music and express how it makes them feel).
Children use digital technologies and media to access information, investigate ideas, and represent their thinking (e.g., Children incorporate real or imaginary technologies as features of their play; Educators acknowledge technologies are a feature of children’s lives and, as such, will be a feature of their imaginative and investigative play; Educators integrate technologies across the curriculum and into children’s multimodal play experiences and projects; Educators research topics and search for information with children).
National Quality Standard (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, 2019)
Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice (e.g., Each child’s current knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities, and interests are the foundation of the program; Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions; Educators respond to children’s ideas and play and extend children’s learning through open-ended questions, interactions, and feedback; Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions that influence events and their world).
Quality Area 3: Physical Environment (e.g., Resources, materials, and equipment allow for multiple uses, are sufficient in number, and enable every child to engage in play-based learning).
Quality Area 5: Relationships with children (e.g., Responsive and meaningful interactions build trusting relationships which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident, and included; The dignity and rights of every child are maintained; Children are supported to collaborate, learn from, and help each other).
National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018)
Principle 8: Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Explore More
If these ideas are new to you, explore these related resources:
This website provides a broad range of educational and entertaining television programs for parents, carers, and educators to co-view with young children.
This tip sheet explores how parents, carers, and educators can support children to transition from viewing media on screens to engaging in play opportunities based on their viewing interests.
For more ideas, explore these related resources:
When the dinosaurs came to kindy
This video presentation explores how early childhood educators can connect with children’s interests using digital technologies.
Staying active in the digital playground
This article invites parents, carers, and educators to promote children’s participation in physical activities using the PLAYback strategy. PLAYback sees trusted adults video recording children participating in physical activity then co-viewing the footage with children to reinforce, support, and build skill development.
If you would like to read some research, explore these related resources:
Edwards, S., Mantilla, A., Grieshaber, S., Nuttall, J., & Wood, E. (2020). Converged play characteristics for early childhood education: Multimodal, global-local, and traditional-digital. Oxford Review of Education, 46(5), 637–660. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1750358
Grieshaber, S., Nuttall, J., & Edwards, S. (2021). Multimodal play: A threshold concept for early childhood curriculum? British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(6), 2118–2129. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13127