The Wiggles open up about what it means to be brave
The Wiggles, Australia’s most beloved children’s musical group, is empowering our youngest generation to express their emotions by launching a set of 12 Brave Little Books in collaboration with UNICEF Australia.
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Blue Wiggle Anthony Field says it is reassuring* to see emotional development* is much more significant* in preschool education since he last taught in a classroom.
The former teacher’s career and life changed significantly after The Wiggles took off both in Australia and internationally three decades ago.
But the emotional needs of young children have not.
“Children are the same as they were 33 years ago, but I do believe education in Australia has shifted to consider the child’s emotional wellbeing more than when I was teaching. Before it was all about the physical side of things, which is still very important, but I think we’re evolving*,” said Anthony.
Anthony and his Wiggles bandmates have joined forces with UNICEF Australia to empower* our youngest generation to express their emotions and face their challenges by launching a set of 12 Brave Little Books.
Blue Wiggle Anthony, who has been open about his mental health* battle said it was important for children to be able to acknowledge* emotions at the earliest stage of their development.
The books are aimed at children aged two to five years old, and parents can sign up from $25 per month to receive the books and accompanying activities and stickers in the mail with 100 per cent of those fees going to UNICEF Australia to support children in countries in crisis*.
“We are all about making sure children can thrive* and reach their full potential* regardless of circumstances. The Brave Little Books hopefully inspire the young children to have a go, and that can be trying something new like going down the slippery slide or putting up their hand to ask a question at school. It’s confidence building* which supports you as you get older.”
The books are a collective collaboration* from The Wiggles but each member focuses on a particular topic. Anthony’s book is about courage and trying again, while Purple Wiggle John Pearce explains his book is about asking for help.
“Each one tells a story about a different form of bravery*, which children can relate to. For me it’s about feeling big and strong but asking for where it’s required to lift something heavy,” said John.
“It’s just about being brave and asking for help when you need it. For a lot of children, and adults too, it’s very difficult to ask for help when it’s most important.”
From a practical point of view, the money raised will support UNICEF Australia to help children in over 190 countries in areas of health, education and child protection.
Head of Brand and Campaigns at UNICEF Australia, Gemma Hill, said it was a no-brainer working with The Wiggles as they both share the same passion for children’s education, wellbeing* and development.
“This book series started after consultations with groups of parents who told us that they wanted to raise really thriving, well-rounded* children but struggled with things like time, feeling that they could be present and financial pressures*. The other thing they flagged was resilience* and courage, which is something that they really wanted children to learn about through those early years when they were experiencing new things like starting a new daycare or trying to learn new skills,” said Gemma.
“The books really open up a really meaningful* connection moment between parents and children to talk about what those emotions mean, and we know how important those emotional conversations are.”
MORE: unicef.org.au/wigglesbooks
POLL
GLOSSARY
- reassuring: making someone feel more certain or confident
- emotional development:
- significant: important or having a noticeable effect
- evolving: gradually developing or changing over time
- empower: to give someone the authority or power to do something
- wellbeing: the state of being comfortable, healthy, and happy
- acknowledge: to recognise or admit the existence or truth of something
- mental health: the condition of a person’s mind and emotions
- bravery: the quality of being courageous or fearless
- collaboration: working together with others to achieve a common goal
- confidence building: the process of increasing self-assurance and belief in one’s abilities
- crisis: a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger
- thrive: to grow or develop well, especially in favourable conditions
- potential: the possibility of becoming or developing into something
- resilience: the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or challenges
- well-rounded: having a balanced and varied set of skills or qualities
- financial pressures: stress or difficulties related to money and expenses
- meaningful: having significance or importance
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QUICK QUIZ
- Why does Blue Wiggle Anthony Field think it’s important for children to acknowledge their emotions at an early stage of development?
- What are the Brave Little Books, and who has collaborated to create them?
- Can you name one topic or theme covered in the Brave Little Books and briefly explain what it’s about?
- How can parents support UNICEF Australia and receive the Brave Little Books for their children?
- Why did UNICEF Australia decide to collaborate with The Wiggles on this book series, according to Gemma Hill?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Bravery book
Write and draw the storyline for your own little Bravery book. Aim your book for five year olds, who are the preps in your school. Think about something they may need to be brave about as they start their school journey.
Plan each page with the text and the illustration in draft form.
Get a classmate to proofread and edit your story while you do the same for them.
Publish your book and illustrations.
Finally, your teacher may be able to work out a time to share and donate your books with the prep class.
Time: allow 60 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
What are some other ways that you can think of to help parents raise courageous and resilient young children, even when they are busy at work and running households and looking after multiple children?
Write some ideas below of little tips to help their children grow up strong and brave.
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Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.