SNAICC – National Voice for our Children has launched a unique culturally informed early Childhood Education and Care resource for early childhood workers.
The Bushland Animal Yoga Cards’ offer ACCO and non-Indigenous ECEC services a resource that incorporates movement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, with native Australian animals representing various poses and movements.
The cards teach fundamental movement skills for 3–5-year-olds by fostering connections to culture and teaching physical education lessons.
Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, said these cards provide educators with fun directions to engage children while learning important skills and fostering a sense of identity and relation to animals on Country.
“The cards are in response to services asking for physical resources that were more contextually appropriate to our children’s lives,” Ms Liddle said.
“The cards teach fundamental movement skills for 3–5-year-olds by fostering connections to culture and teaching physical education lessons, providing culturally safe, playful and integrated resources for ECEC services.
“We’ve also had significant interest from non-Indigenous EEC providers who are looking for cultural resources to integrate into lesson planning.”
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are essential movement patterns that engage various body parts. These skills like running, hoping, catching and balancing for the building blocks for more complex activities in sprots, dance and physical education.
“While most movement allows children to regulate their bodies better, the intention behind these cards is to explicitly teach FMS to help kids little muscles become strong enough to successfully engage in future sports.
Zieha Flick from Towri MACS in Bathurst said their service has been using the ‘Bushland Animal Yoga Cards’ for over 12 months.
“The cards are so good when we have kids that are going a bit crazy, and you need something to calm kids down. We find them easier and far more accessible than having a video of yoga because the cards are interactive, more visual, and we can get involved and demonstrate with them,” Misss Flick said.
“The kids remember the yoga cards – we see them outside doing the yoga moves and playing with each other while they do it after a lesson. It kind of ticks two boxes because the cards teach kids about native animals and address ELYF framework objectives.”
The Bushland Animal Yoga Cards are available on SNAICC’s website here – https://www.snaicc.org.au/product/bushland-animal-yoga-cards/
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For all media queries, please contact Charlie Bowcock on 0417 042 308 or media@snaicc.org.au
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