Mermaids and mermen are ocean creatures that appear in folklore from a wide range of cultures. Australian children are usually introduced to mermaids through popular culture, including movies, books and commercial toys.
The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) supports learning about mythical creatures. Mermaids and mermen promote curiosity, confidence and imagination (4.1).
Learning experiences
Play with an underwater world
Set up water play experiences that incorporate the colours, textures and concepts of mermaids. Add food colouring, sparkly loose parts, shells and pebbles, and ocean creature figurines.
Splash your tail
Fill a trough with water that is big enough for a few children to sit around it with their feet inside. Your children can pretend they are mermaids with their tails in the water. Who can make the biggest splash?
Sculpt a sand tail
Encourage a child to sit in the sandpit and cover their legs with sand. Children can help them mould the sand into the shape of a tail. Decorate the tail with shells, leaves or other natural loose parts. Remember to take photos of the process and the final product!
Make a loose part picture
Arrange loose parts into the shape of a mermaid or merman. Use a light box, a light table, or shimmering fabric as your surface.
Draw mermaid scales
Children can investigate animals that have scales covering their bodies and practice drawing what they imagine mermaid scales to look like.
Make a watery picture
Children who are interested in mermaids or mermen will love to draw or paint them. Here are a few different techniques they can use:
- Draw with watercolour pencils and then paint the picture with water to turn the pencil into paint.
- Draw the outline with oil pastels and then colour the image with watercolour paints.
- Draw a picture and then spray it gently with a spray bottle containing water and blue food dye or paint.
Move like a mermaid
Move like a mermaid to classical piano music or the sounds of the ocean. Encourage children to experiment with their bodies. Remember you have a tail instead of legs, so no walking!
When an educator stops the music, all children can freeze like a mermaid sitting on a rock. When the music starts again, mermaids can dive into the water with a splash!
Resources
Picture books
- The Singing Mermaid by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks
- Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love