Playing with Purpose

Using the EYE-100 Domain Strengthening Learning Activities for Measurable Improvements

Providing educators with data is vital to the success of each child’s success in school. Of equal importance is to link all of our assessments with effective intervention. The Early Years Evaluation (EYE-TA) includes a set of 100 fun and engaging play-based learning activities called the EYE-100 Domain Strengthening Activities. These activities were developed by experts in early childhood education, with guidance from a team that included a speech and language pathologist, an occupational therapist, and a physical therapist. The activities were field-tested with a large sample of early childhood educators, and subsequently modified in response to their feedback. These learning activities are rooted in the science of reading literacy and are designed for teachers to use after administering the EYE, to support their complex classroom needs.

Early Years Evaluation - EYE-100 Learning Activities - Boy playing

Important features:

Forty of the activities emphasize skills in the Cognitive domain and forty emphasize skills in the Language and Communication domain. An additional set of twenty activities are aimed at strengthening Inquiry and Problem-solving skills. Each activity includes:

a simple description of the activity and a clearly defined learning outcome;
an indication of the intended group size, preparation time, and duration of the activity;
a set of targeted vocabulary words;
a list of required materials and preparation instructions;
a format for lesson delivery based on an active teaching model;
suggestions for differentiated learning that promote inclusion;
an Indigenous section in every fifth lesson that supports teachers with integrating Indigenous teaching and values into their classroom;
a number of supplementary resources including tips for using the activity to strengthen children’s executive functioning, tips from teachers who have used the activity, a list of complementary early literacy books and a link to observable EYE-TA skills; and
paper-based materials that minimize teachers’ preparation time.