Co-Designing Multimodal Biological Science Learning in Early Childhood Education: Educators’ Perspectives and Implementation Experiences

Young learners often have limited access to interactive, engaging, and targeted scientific content in early childhood education. For many years, the focus has been on literacy and numeracy due to the perception that those subjects are more critical in children’s overall learning. Drawing on social semiotic theory, this study explores how multimodal resources boost children’s engagement and interaction with biological science learning. Twenty early childhood educators across four early childhood centres in Melbourne, Australia, participated in a co-design process to develop and implement eight biological science modules spanning topics around plant growth, soil ecosystems, animal care and the human body. Each module was structured around four sequential learning experiences: inquiry-based exploration (ask and explore), interactive digital games (watch and learn), hands-on activities (try it for real) and Tale-Bot Pro time (screen-free robotic play). Preliminary data via focus group workshops with the educators revealed that they observed children actively participate and engage with the co-designed biological science resources, particularly during the hands-on, experiential, and multimodal robotic play. This research argues that carefully designed multimodal games-based biological science resources can support educators’ biological science teaching practices, simultaneously enhancing children’s early science engagement and comprehension in early childhood settings. This research also offers practical insight into designing developmentally suitable interactive resources that bridge educators’ multimodal play practices, facilitating children’s understanding of everyday biological science concepts.