f e at u r e by Hannah Mills

The importance of creative arts in early

childhood classrooms

A t circle time, Ms. OBrien introduces the concept

of self-portraits to her group of 4-year-olds. She
shows examples from the art world, including the
T his self-portrait activity is one of many standard
opportunities children have to engage in the cre-
ative arts, activities that are essential for fostering
self-portraits of Frieda Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, young childrens cognition and imagination (Koster
Gustave Caillebotte, Pablo Picasso, and Rembrandt 2012). Indeed, such activities are fundamental for
(all available at Google images). supporting childrens cognitive growth and overall
With the group, Ms. OBrien explores the artists development.
interpretations of how they looked. She points out
the ways in which a painted self-portrait differs from An overview of creative arts
a photograph. Her intention is to build the childrens Creative arts are activities that actively engage chil-
understanding of unique. drens imagination through art, dance, dramatic play
To reinforce this concept, she asks pairs of children or theater, puppetry, and music. The creative arts
to identify each others uniqueness using descriptive engage children across all domainscognitive, lan-
words. Afterward, the children are free to create guage, social, emotional, and physical. Activities are
their own self-portraits using materialspaint, deliberately open-ended (not prescriptive), foster
markers, crayons, pencils, watercolor, chalk, paper, divergent thinking, and support the process without
and mirrorsin the art area. particular attention on the product.
Mayesky (2013) offers teachers eight ways to help
n n n children express their natural creativity through the
arts.
Help children accept change. Fear and anxiety are
photo b y s usan gae t z

the enemies of creativity.

Help children realize that some problems have no

easy answers.
Help children recognize that many problems have

many possible answers. The goal is to explore and

discover.
Help children monitor and accept their own feelings.

Value childrens creativity, even when its messy.

Recognize and acknowledge childrens joy in all

creative endeavors.
Help children appreciate their own unique charac-

teristics and expressions.

Help children persevere. Encourage them to

explore, discover, and explore again.

Mayeskys ideas provide an appropriate template
for examining creative arts across all developmental
domains. Completing art activities, for example, may

Texas Child Care quarterly / summer 2014 / VOLUME 38, NO. 1 / childcarequarterly.com
 foster the growth and maturation of childrens fine but creating it. Vygotsky further believed that chil-
and gross motor skills (Koster 2012). More specifical- drens learning depends on social interactions and
ly, grasping a paintbrush promotes childrens use of supports called scaffolding. Scaffolding, provided by
fine motor skills, while skipping to music with a someone with a greater knowledge base, helps a
partner enhances gross motor skills. child build the skills that are necessary for optimal
Creative arts may also help children explore their development.
emotions, both displaying and regulating them
(Koster 2012). Theater and puppetry activities, for
example, can help children explore their emotional
range and, in play, develop emotional self-regulation creative arts may also help children
and self-control. Developing the ability to control
emotions during childhood is essential to the emo-
explore their emotions.
tional regulation required in adulthood.
Opportunities for collaboration, negotiation, and
problem solving, all milestones in social develop-
ment, are plentiful in creative arts activities. For Early childhood educators can apply these theo-
instance, choosing roles for an enactment of The ries. For example, teachers can offer opportunities
Three Little Pigs could involve negotiating gender for creative arts play by using the dramatic play
roles, vocabulary, sound effects, props, and different area. When children are engaged in dramatic play,
story endings. Creative arts activities also offer stim- their imagination and creativity levels soar because
ulating opportunities for exploring cultural differ- they adopt certain roles related to specific characters
ences in music, art, ritual, and holiday celebrations or individuals. In addition, children build social
(Koster 2012). skills when they experiment with creative arts like
puppetry, creative movement, music, and dance in
Applying the theories dramatic play scenarios (Ginsburg 2007).
According to Piaget (1962), young childrens cogni- Similarly, childrens physical skills can be
tion is fostered through exploration and participa- enhanced with painting activities like making a
tion in play activities, especially imaginative play, mural with paint, feathers, collage materials, and
within their environments. Later, Vygotsky (1978) markers. During this activity, for example, a child
stated that play enables children to learn new things, whose fine motor skills are not fully developed can
not so much reflecting thought (as Piaget suggested) mimic and learn from a child whose fine motor skills
are more refined. One child, using a large paint-
photo b y s usan gae t z

brush, watches and imitates the second child gluing

small feathers onto the mural.

Creative arts and

developmentally appropriate
practice
Developmentally appropriate practice (Copple and
Bredekamp 2009) ensures that activities are planned
and offered according to the skills and interests of
individual children and children in a group. Creative
arts activities ideally enhance childrens continuing
development, both stimulating and engaging it,
without frustration or boredom.
Toddlers. Children between 18 months and 3
years are still learning about colors, shapes, lines, and
rhythm. Build interest areas or centers so they can
engage in play, either alone or with other children.

Texas Child Care quarterly / summer 2014 / VOLUME 38, NO. 1 / childcarequarterly.com
 Offer a choice of creative arts materials including environments and with each other. Providing oppor-
large crayons, watercolor, play dough, and collage tunities for collaboration, discovery, and exploration
items as well as large sheets of paper (Copple and in creative art experiences will foster childrens lev-
Bredekamp 2009). Encourage physical development els of cognition, which in turn may promote their
with deliberate and intentional movement and music physical, social, and emotional well-being (Koster
activities rather than playing background music 2012).
throughout the day. Offer simple puppets to enhance
language development. And make sure there are References
ample materials so that toddlers arent expected to Copple, Carol and Sue Bredekamp. 2009.
share. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early
Preschoolers. Children between the ages 3 and 5 Childhood Programs: Serving Children from Birth to
are fascinated by symbols and sequences (Koster Age 8, 3rd Ed. Washington, D.C.: National
2012). Preschoolers represent objects, people, and Association for the Education of Young Children.
events in the environment symbolically and creative- Ginsburg, K. R. 2007. The importance of play in pro-
ly. For example, pebbly sand becomes the vegetable moting healthy child development and maintain-
soup to feed a doll, and stacked hollow blocks repre- ing strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119 (1).
sent horses on the range. Provide preschoolers with Koster, Joan B. 2012. Growing Artists: Teaching the
opportunities to collaborate with one another in cre- Arts to Young Children, 5th Ed. Belmont, Calif.:
ative activities, such as class murals, group construc- Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
tions, puppet play, and dance moves. Foster this cre- Mayesky, Mary. 2013. Creative Activities for Young
ativity by allowing children to work in large groups Children, 10th Ed. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth
(not limiting the number of children in a center) and Cengage Learning.
give them time and support (but not interference) as Piaget, Jean. 1962. Play, Dreams, and Imitation. New
they negotiate and problem solve. York: Norton.
Vygotsky, Lev S. 1978. Mind in Society: The
Integrate the creative arts in Development of Higher Psychological Processes.
your classroom Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Capitalize on the work of Piaget and Vygotsky as
you integrate creative art experiences in your early About the author
childhood classroom. Remember, children learn Hannah Mills is pursuing a doctorate in early child-
through exploration and interactions within their hood development and education at Texas Womans
University in Denton, Texas. She teaches child devel-
photo b y s usan gae t z

opment and early education courses at Texas

Womans University and Tarrant County College, is
involved in many research projects, and has present-
ed at several local and regional conferences. n

Texas Child Care quarterly / summer 2014 / VOLUME 38, NO. 1 / childcarequarterly.com