Possibilities to Integrate Video & Stop-Motion in ECEC
Language development and articulation
Producing one's own films based on short scripts can expand children's vocabulary. To develop a script, children have to find words for the dialogues they want to enact. This also helps them to learn how to articulate themselves in certain situations and develop their communication skills.
Promoting emotional and social development
Making a film is teamwork. Participating as an actor, behind the camera or editing, everyone helps and cooperates with each other. This is very important for the social development of children. Through video work, children learn a lot about different emotions and can try out different mimics. Thus, it becomes possible to talk with children about feelings related to their own experiences, e.g. what makes them happy or sad.
Promoting creativity and fantasy
Developing a story and then playing in it or putting it into a stop motion film stimulates imagination. Children have to think about backdrops, costumes and materials to be used and then possibly create them themselves. That's creative and productive. Being able to see the actual results of their own work after a relatively short period of time makes them very proud. This way, children realise that they can create something and this is very positive for their personal growth.
Creating special memories with video
Videos made by children and ECEC professionals, e.g. at an ECEC centre party, can be a nice memory to send home to parents or to present at a parents' meeting. It is also possible to have children record the ECEC everyday life with a camera from their perspective. This gives parents a very special insight into the everyday life of the child, which normally remains hidden from them.
Promoting children’s movement
The big advantage of videos is that you can capture images with motion. Therefore, you can use this medium to create videos recording children with movement. Of course, children can decide what they want to use for scenery, costumes etc. and how they want to realise the video. Then you can watch these videos together with the children. For example, you could watch a music video. Then children talk together about what they saw and the video is replayed with their own means.
Monitoring and reflection
Using a video camera is a good means to observe children and then to reflect within the team or with parents. Children’s behaviour and skills can be recorded and assessed. The ECEC teacher can also let the camera run during a typical morning and later to observe how he/she behaves towards the children and how the children react to him or her. For such a project, it should be checked whether additional parental consent needs to be obtained.
Integration of video-making in ECEC
Comprehension Questions
1. How can film-making contribute to the development of children’s language and articulation?
2. In which way can film-making contribute to children’s emotional and social development?
3. How can film-making promote children’s creativity and fantasy?