Humanities and social sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) early childhood enables children to comprehend identity, culture, community, and the environment. With the help of inquiry-based activities, children come to know about people, places, and the events and develop empathy and respect of diversity (ACARA, 2021). During the early school years, children would learn best with the help of stories, role-play activities, and other practical experiences to allow students to comprehend an abstract concept (Howard & Mayesky, 2022). Creative learning in HASS promotes competencies in social skills, thinking and problem-solving (Littledyke, 2014). Educators are expected to offer learning and meaningful experiences that motivate children to personalise their world and develop a sense of belongingness, as well as enlighten them to be an active citizen (Stonehouse, 2012).

Theories and Perspectives

The Sociocultural Theory developed by Vygotsky highlights the importance of social communication and cultural resources in the process of learning, which makes it very relevant in HASS as children study heritage, roles, and traditions (Howard & Mayesky, 2022). The Spiral Curriculum of Bruner favors the repetition of social and historical ideas over time in more advanced forms as the children grow (ACARA, 2021). The Experiential Learning Theory of Dewey appreciates real world learning experiences, i.e. field trips or cooking cuisine to emphasise the learning content. Reggio Emilia Approach focuses on child-initiated inquiry, working in groups, and learning records which are key elements of HASS projects (Littledyke, 2014). These worldviews as a whole influence educators to organise HASS experiences that relate to the lives of children, create originality during learning, and recognise the various kinds of information that children have.

Resources for Different Age Groups (0–8 years)

Babies (0–2 years)

Picture book of family and community,
Family picture chart,
Cultural music,
Diversity based dolls,
Picture cards of places.

Toddlers (2–3 years)

Community helper dress-up,
Maps,
Cultural puppets,
Picture books,
Toy demonstrating different occupations.

Preschoolers (3–5 years)

Welcome to Country picture book
Explorable Cultural Artefacts,
World map,
Cooking utensils and recipes,
Matching Games with different places.

Older Children (6–8 years)

Photographs of historic places,
Tablet with Google earth access,
Timeline creation kits,
Digital storytelling apps,
Planting kits.

Creative Learning Activities for Different Age Groups (0–8 years)

Babies (0–2 years)

Family Photo Exploration
Materials: Laminated photographs of family

Activity: This is an activity where a child will look at and point to the photos and name people and places with educator’s support which helps them build their identity and belonging (ACARA, 2021)

Cultural Music Movement
Materials: Relaxing culture based music, scarves
Activity: Babies dance to music, wave scarves, which encourages sensory work and cultural description (Howard & Mayesky, 2022).

Toddlers (2–3 years)

Community Helper Dress-Up
Materials: Costumes, stethoscope, letters or many props
Activity: Children pretend to be doctors, post workers or even firemen helping them to stimulate imagination and introduce early knowledge about the social roles (Stonehouse, 2012).
Neighbourhood Floor Map Play
Materials: huge map with toy cars on it

Activity: Children move to buildings around the community on floor map using vehicles, which makes them connect their imaginations and space (Littledyke, 2014).

Preschoolers (3–5 years)

Welcome to Country Book Reading
Materials: Welcome to Country book
Activity: Read aloud, discuss land, culture, and respect, and children can share the experiences related to nature and their country (ACARA, 2021).
Cultural Cooking Day
Materials: Utensils, simple recipe
Activity: Children will collaborate on the preparation of a cultural dish, and they can gain a sense of inclusion, sensory activities, and teamwork (Howard & Mayesky, 2022).

Older Children (6–8 years)

Tour Google Earth Community
Materials: Google Earth in tablets
Activity: The children tour their places of residence, schools, and monuments and compare and contrast them (ACARA, 2021).
Timeline Local History Project
Materials: Pictures, cardboard, markers
Activity: The children in groups create timelines based on their existing knowledge about history and their land and everyone will go through their timeline and gain more knowledge about history from their friends that will help them enhance historical awareness (Littledyke, 2014).

Digital Reflection

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Welcome to Country Book Reading

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Cultural Music Movement

Critical Reflection

The Welcome to Country with preschoolers proved to be a good example of building cultural knowledge and respectful discussions. The children were profoundly involved, having their own stories about the nature. Participation was increased with the help of visual prompts and expressive style of reading. Next time I would follow this activity up with a joint art project where children could embark on visualising respect of culture (Howard & Mayesky, 2022).

The Cultural Music Movement activity included taba naba music and dance that the babies enjoyed and it fostered sensory activities and first cultural identity. There were empowering babies and visible behaviors in responding positively to music and movements. By incorporating scarves, it included the sense of touch, thus greater concentration. To advance it, additional types of musical instruments should be added and educators should be permitted to participate to enhance cultural ties and help children learn the language (Howard & Mayesky, 2022).

The two activities depict how relating learning to experiences of children using sensory and cultural contexts brings about inventive imaginations and social insights. The usage of several forms of expression is emphasised in these enactments to ensure that HASS learning is meaningful and interesting to learners in early childhood environments (ACARA, 2021; Littledyke, 2014).

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