Animating the Curriculum

Animation in Early Years

We’ve put together some ideas to help incorporate stop motion animation into lesson plans for reception classes.

Animate a nursery rhyme, song or part of a story
Animate the letters in their name whilst saying the sounds out loud
Explore and experiment with sounds, words and texts
Retell narratives in the correct sequence, drawing on language patterns of stories
Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking and ideas
Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences
Listen with enjoyment and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems and make up their own stories, songs, rhymes and poems
Speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener

Express and communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings by using a widening range of materials – including animation
Match movement in animation to music
Explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions – creating models, props, scenery for use in animated films
Use their imagination in art and design, music, dance, imaginative and role-play and stories – all of these aspects can be used in the planning and creating of an animated film

Say and use number names in order in familiar contexts
Animate number songs
Make counting animations
Use language such as ‘greater’, ‘smaller’, ‘heavier’ or ‘lighter’ to compare quantities

Create an animation to show how an animal moves
Make an animation to show understanding of different forms of transport
Make an animation showing a simple life cycle
Make a weather symbol animation to a weather song or rhyme
Find out about and identify the uses of everyday technology and use information communication technology and programmable toys to support their learning

Work as part of a group or class, taking turns and sharing fairly
Be confident to try new activities, initiate ideas and speak in a familiar group
Make an animation to show good manners, sharing or other social story
Use animation to explore different points of view

Handle tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control

Stop motion animation is a fascinating learning tool in all K12 classrooms and especially through Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.