My Body Collage
Level 2 strengthens application and explanation. 'My Body Collage' deepens understanding of health responsibility.
- Framework: EYFS
- Unit: EYFS Health, Safety and Hygiene
- Learning area: Understanding the World
- Level: EYFS Reception
Objectives
- Explain safety/hygiene reasoning
- Apply concept independently
- Collaborate during activity
Instructions
Materials
- Large sheets of butcher paper or sugar paper
- Magazines featuring diverse people and body parts
- Child-safe scissors and glue sticks
- Crayons and markers
- Pre-printed labels for body parts like head, arm, leg, and torso
Learning Objectives
- Identify and name at least four major external body parts.
- Demonstrate fine motor control by cutting out images and gluing them in a logical arrangement.
- Explain the function of specific body parts during the creative process.
- Collaborate with peers to share resources and discuss physical similarities and differences.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Begin with a group discussion by asking children to point to their own body parts as you name them.
2. Lay out the butcher paper and invite children to lie down on the paper so a partner can trace their outline.
3. Provide magazines and encourage children to find images that represent different body parts to fill in their outline.
4. Demonstrate how to safely hold scissors to cut out the images.
5. Guide children to glue their cutouts onto the corresponding areas of their traced outline.
6. Assist children in placing the pre-printed labels next to the correct body parts on their collage.
7. Encourage children to use crayons to draw additional details, such as facial features or clothing, on their outline.
8. Facilitate a gallery walk where children present their work and describe one thing their body can do, such as run or jump.
Educator Tip
If a child struggles with cutting, provide pre-cut images or focus on the placement and identification aspect to maintain engagement. To extend this activity for advanced learners, ask them to draw internal organs or sensory organs like eyes and ears and explain why these parts are essential for health.
Assessment
- Observe the child correctly matching labels to the corresponding body parts on their collage.
- Listen for the child correctly naming body parts during the group discussion and individual work.
- Evaluate the child's ability to follow safety procedures while using scissors and glue.
Educator tip
Require complete thoughts (sentence frames); rotate roles in pairs; photograph work for portfolios.
Assessment
Assess against Early Learning Goals (ELGs). Document evidence of 'expected' or 'exceeding' descriptors. Note: independent application of skills, ability to explain reasoning, and capacity to build on prior learning. Observe reasoning, independence, collaboration.