Possibilities to Integrate Audio in ECEC

  • Possibilities to Integrate Audio in ECEC

    Audio productions to support language development

    Listening to radio plays and producing their own audio plays after short scrips actions can expand and consolidate the vocabulary of the children. They become familiar with grammar and sentence structure. By listening to stories, the children get to know new characters, ways of acting and situations, which allows them to broaden their own repertoire of conflict resolution approaches, manners and reactions. To produce their own, they must consider in advance how a character should act, react and articulate in a particular situation. This can help the children to consider how they can behave in similar real situations.

    Benefits of Audio Plays

    The content of a story you have invented yourself should always be related to the world in which the children live. You can be inspired by a single picture or an illustrated book. Stories that are so realistic that the children's imagination cannot unfold are not suitable. It is advisable not to think up the story in every detail, because the best ideas often arise during the shots.

    Promoting imagination and creativity

    While listening to stories, children come up with images that strongly stimulate their fantasy and creativity. They also stimulate their imagination and make them creative and productive.

    Listen to a recorded radio play with the children, stop the story at some points and let the children tell you how they think the story goes on.

    Developing empathic abilities

    Listening to and producing audio plays can increase the children's empathy, because they learn through the stories to understand the emotions and positions of other characters and to put themselves in their shoes better. This makes it easier for them to act with empathy in relation to their own experiences.

    Promotion of concentration and listening skills

    When listening, children develop their ability to concentrate. They get a feeling for the structure of the stories and for time sequences. Additionally, audio stories can promote children's knowledge about the world around them.

    Together with the children, search for clues to noise and sound and consciously follow their hearing. Talk to the children about what we hear: When we close our eyes, what do we hear? How does that sound? Where does it come from? Who makes the sound? Can you describe the sound? Which sounds do you like and which you don't? This encourages the children to be more sensitive to sounds and practise listening. Sound and loud noise become more important for the children themselves, because their hearing experiences make them meaningful.


    Comprehension Questions

    1. Can the production of audio projects improve the young children’s linguistic skills? Which skills?

    2. What themes in general should you choose for audio production in the ECEC?

    3. How can you help the children sharpen their hearing sense?