Children & Media - Types of Activities to be used in Preschools.

 

Media education involves guiding children and adolescents to develop versatile media skills, fostering a healthy relationship with media, and promoting balanced media use in daily life. This encompasses understanding various media forms—such as the internet, books, films, digital games, advertisements, television, photos, and mobile phones—and their impact on young users. Parents and educators play a crucial role in this process by setting examples, establishing rules, and engaging in discussions about media use.

Media literacy refers to the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in various forms. It empowers individuals to understand the role of media in society and to develop critical thinking and communication skills necessary for responsible media consumption and production. In early childhood education, fostering media literacy is essential as it lays the foundation for children to navigate the complex media landscape they will encounter throughout their lives.

Teaching Media Literacy in Early Childhood Education

Introducing media literacy in early childhood can be achieved through age-appropriate activities that encourage critical thinking, creativity, and responsible media use. Here are some practical examples:

1. Exploring Emotions Through Media

Use media to help children understand and express emotions. For example, after watching a short film or reading a story, discuss the emotions of the characters and relate them to the children's own experiences. This can enhance their empathy and emotional literacy.

. "Emoji Feelings" – Understanding Digital Communication

📌 Objective: Help children recognize how emotions are expressed in media.
📌 Activity: Show different emojis and ask:

• “What feeling does this face show?”
• “When would you use this emoji?”
• “How do we know someone’s feelings in real life?”
  📌 Why it helps: Encourages emotional literacy and awareness of digital communication.

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2.      Media Creation Projects

Encourage children to create their own simple media projects, such as drawing a story, taking photos, or making a short video with guidance. This hands-on experience allows them to understand the basics of media production and the choices involved in creating content.

"Tell Your Own Story" – Media Creation

📌 Objective: Encourage children to understand media by creating their own.
📌 Activity: Let kids:

• Draw a simple comic strip.
• Take photos using a tablet and arrange them into a story.
• Act out a short story and record a video.
  📌 Why it helps: Develops storytelling skills and a better understanding of how media is created.

3.      "Spot the Media" Game

Play a game where children identify different forms of media in their environment. This could involve looking around the classroom or during a walk to spot examples like posters, logos, or digital screens. Discuss with them what each piece of media is trying to communicate.

"Guess the Sound" – Media Awareness Game

📌 Objective: Develop listening skills and an understanding of different media sources.
📌 Activity: Play different sounds (a phone ringing, cartoon music, a radio news clip, a nature sound). Ask kids to guess:

• “Where have you heard this sound before?”
• “What does this sound tell us?”
• “Is this sound from real life or from a video?”
  📌 Why it helps: Encourages children to differentiate between media and real-life experiences.

Here are some more activities that can be done with preschool children.

"Ad Detective" – Spotting Advertisements

📌 Objective: Teach kids to recognize advertisements and their purpose.
📌 Activity: Show them different types of media (TV, magazines, YouTube videos). Ask:

• “What do you think this picture or video is trying to tell us?”
• “Do they want us to buy something?”
• “What colors or words do they use to make us interested?”
  📌 Why it helps: Builds awareness of marketing tactics and consumer literacy.

 

"Digital Storytelling" – Interactive Story Time

📌 Objective: Teach kids how media is used for storytelling.
📌 Activity: Use an interactive story app or an audiobook. Pause to discuss:

• “What do you think happens next?”
• “Why did the character do that?”
• “How is this different from reading a book with no pictures or sound?”
  📌 Why it helps: Develops comprehension skills and awareness of different storytelling formats.

"
Real vs. Make-Believe" Sorting Game

📌 Objective: Help children distinguish between reality and fiction in media.
📌 Activity: Show pictures from various sources (cartoons, real-life photos, animated animals, news images). Ask children:

• “Is this real or pretend?”
• “Can a dog really talk like in this cartoon?”
• “Can people actually fly like superheroes?”
  📌 Why it helps: Encourages critical thinking and awareness of how media represents reality.

By integrating these activities into early childhood education, educators can lay a strong foundation for media literacy, equipping children with the skills to navigate and critically engage with the media-rich world around them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R03EScLiiP0

References

·       Association for Media Literacy. (n.d.). 40 ideas for incorporating media literacy into a kindergarten program. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://aml.ca/40-ideas-for-incorporating-media-literacy-into-a-kindergarten-program/

·       Britannica. (n.d.). Media literacy. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/media-literacy

·       Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL). (n.d.). Media education. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.mll.fi/en/about-mll/media-education/

·       Media Literacy Now. (n.d.). What is media literacy? Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://medialiteracynow.org/challenge/what-is-media-literacy/

·       MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Printable activities for younger children. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/printable-activities-younger-children