Materials Required
- This experience doesn’t require any resources other than you!
Preparation
This play experience could be incorporated into many different times of the day such as during nappy changes, tummy time, meal times, running errands (e.g. grocery shopping), walking with your baby in a pram – any time you have the opportunity to be face to face with your child.
Method (or Ideas)
- Position yourself so that you are face to face with your child.
- Make different faces to your child e.g. poke out your tongue, wink, wiggle your eyebrows, make an exaggerated sad face, make an exaggerated happy face, make a shocked/surprised face etc.
- Take your time, there is no rush with this play experience, enjoy being in the moment with your child.
- Pause between your funny faces, giving your child time to respond. Watch carefully for any forms of communication your child might give you e.g. verbalisations and body language and respond to these.
Facilitation Tips – What To Say
- Narrate your actions e.g. I can poke out my tongue
- Label the emotion you are portraying e.g. this is my sad face, this is my happy face
- Emotions: happy, sad, surprised, angry, confused, scared, disgust etc.
Extend the Experience
- Provide a mirror for your child to explore their face.
- Read a book about different emotions and portray those emotions as you read.
- Play peek-a-boo.
WHO Guidelines for Physical Activity & Sedentary Behaviour
Try making faces with your child during tummy time to incorporate physical activity into this experience.
Early Years Learning Framework
Outcomes
- Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes
- Children feel safe, secure, and supported
Principle
Principle 1: Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships. Through a widening network of secure relationships, children develop confidence and feel respected and valued.
Practice
Practice: Learning through play. Play can expand children’s thinking and enhance their desire to know and to learn. In these ways play can promote positive dispositions towards learning. Children’s immersion in their play illustrates how play enables them to simply enjoy being.
