Activities with sound for preschool children

Personal experience and discussions with kindergarten teachers show that physics activities for preschool children are planned quite rarely. To this end, we devised an action research on sound for preschool children. The activities were related to the topic of sound, which enabled the children to actively discover and become acquainted with the properties of sound, how it is produced and how it travels. We examined how sound-related activities help children achieve the learning objectives and influence their preconceptions. The theoretical part of the thesis points to the significance of early science education, learning content related to sound, and action research. We developed a structured interview on the basis of relevant literature and experience to explore the preconceptions of children about sound. Moreover, the answers were used as a basis for the activities that were conducted in a group of 19 children aged from 4 to 5 years. The analysis of all the activities showed how the children participated in the activities and accepted the acquired knowledge. Each activity was analysed and used in the planning of the next activity. When the activities were completed, we once again carried out the same structured interview to evaluate the children's conceptions. The analysis of their conceptions about sound before and after the activities indicates that their preconceptions were extended or changed. Children were successful in describing the path of sound from the outer ear to the brain. It transpired that preschool children are able to hear and distinguish higher and lower tones, but fail to verbalise this property that they usually attribute to sound loudness