Chapter 1: Arts and Young Children

“Every day everywhere in the world, young children make a fist around a pencil or crayon, or drag their fingers in earth or

frosty windows, to scribble.”—Sylvia Fein (1993, p. xii)

EDU 151 Spring 2015

Who are the Young Artists?

Children from Birth to age 8

Who Are the Young Artists(continued)

Children of these ages are:• Learning through play• Developing control over their bodies• Curious• Have short attention spans• Unique

What Are the Creative Arts?

Natural Behavior

Cultural Expression

Self-Expression

Creative Product

HistoricalConstruct

Techniqueand Form

Commodity Play Way to Communicate

What Are the Arts?

All the art forms encompass:• Creative problem-solving

• Playfulness

• Expression of feelings and ideas

What Are the Creative Arts?(continued)

All the art forms encompass:

• Creativity• Play• Self-Expression

What Are the Creative Arts?(continued)

Creative Movement or Dance

What Are the Creative Arts?(continued)

Drama

What Are the Creative Arts?(continued)

Music

What Are the Creative Arts?(continued)

Visual Arts

Why Should the Arts Be Taught to Young Children?

• Intellectually• Linguistically• Physically• Emotionally• Perceptually• Socially• Creatively

The arts help children grow.

The Well-Designed Arts Program

Is based on:• Learning theory• Developmentally appropriate practice• Goals & Standards

How Do the Creative Arts Help Children Learn?

Learning theories can provide direction in designing worthwhile arts learning experiences:

• The Constructivist Theory

• The Sociocultural Theory

• The Multiple Intelligences Theory

How Do the Creative Arts Help Children Learn? (continued)

Howard Gardner has proposed eight intelligences or learning aptitudes:

Linguistic Logical-Mathematical

Spatial Musical

Bodily-Kinesthetic

Interpersonal Intrapersonal Naturalistic

What Does A Well-Designed Arts Curriculum Look Like?

An early childhood arts curriculum requires:

• Children to be active participants. • Arts activities to be real and integrated.• Sufficient materials, time, and space and a nurturing

teacher of the arts.

Task Force on Children’s Learning and the Arts (1998) and National Arts Education Standards

What Does A Well-Designed Arts Curriculum Look Like? (continued)

A developmentally appropriate early childhood arts curriculum requires us to ask:

Is this activity appropriate for this age? Is this activity appropriate for every child? Is this activity unbiased? Does it take into

account social, physical, and cultural differences?

What Does A Well-Designed Arts Curriculum Look Like? (continued)

An early childhood arts curriculum develops:

Knowledge Dispositions Feelings Skills

What Does a Well-Designed Arts Curriculum Look Like?

(continued)

It incorporates the standards:• National Common Core Standards in the Arts, ELA &

Mathematicshttp://www.corestandards.org/

http://www.arteducators.org/news/national-coalition-for-core-arts-standards-nccas

• State Standardshttp://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/goodstart/elgwebsites .html

What Does a Well-Designed Arts Curriculum Look Like?

(continued)

National Common Core Standards in the Arts address:

• Creating• Performing/Presenting/Producing• Responding• Connecting

Conclusion: The Well-Designed Arts Program

Check out these early childhood programs. How are the arts infused into their curricula?

New York State Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards/pdfdocs/nyslsprek.pdf

Reggio Emilia: http://www.reggiochildren.it/?lang=en HighScope Early Childhood Curriculum: http://

www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=1

Reggio EmiliaReggio Emilia – an example• Attention to the aesthetics of the environment• Provision of an artelierista• Use of emergent curriculum

Summary

Growth Theory DAP Play Emergent Valuing the Arts Goals/Standards Teaching