Art in the Early Years: Part 1 - Introduction

Over the eight parts of this series, we will be exploring creativity in the early years through a series of articles. Each article will explore a different aspect - drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, textiles and 3D (three dimensional) - and how these support and enable individual creativity.

Emphasis will be placed on the importance of the creative process, not the end product, and throughout there will be clear links to the role of the adult, enabling environments, equipment and resources, and the six areas of learning and development.

Although the focus of this series has a particular emphasis on art in the early years, creativity can also be expressed through music, dance, drama and imaginative play, so we will also explore these throughout the series.

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

How often do you hear the words 'Oh, I'm not creative!' followed by an example of what the person can't do? In adult life creativity is often linked to outcomes - the ability to produce an expressive piece of artwork, play a musical instrument, sing with rhythm or confidently act in front of others.

However, creativity is far more about the intellectual processes involved in generating new and original ideas, and in developing connections between existing ideas and concepts. Sometimes this can mean the ability to play a musical instrument beautifully, and it can also mean finding a solution to a problem.

Being able to think creatively is an enormous asset in adult life. It's as important as having the ability to work out mathematical problems, but it is often overlooked as being an additional extra. Problems and challenges in life approached from different angles will enable the individual to build resilience.

Sir Ken Robinson led the development of a document called All Our Futures (1999). This laid down the principles for embracing creativity in all aspects of education. Sir Ken talks about 'creative potential' and encourages the belief that 'creativity is possible in all areas of human activity, including the arts, sciences, at work, at play and in all other areas of daily life. All people have creative abilities and we all have them differently'. He says '... when individuals find their creative strengths, it can have an enormous impact on self-esteem and on overall achievement.'

Early years settings play a vital role in developing and extending children's creativity through providing opportunities that encourage and facilitate curiosity, imagination, investigation, exploration and risktaking.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (2008) says that creativity emerges as babies and young children 'become absorbed in exploring what things are like and what they can be made to do. These investigations help them to give meaning to the things, sounds and situations around them.' Through this self-initiated process, babies and young children are using all their senses to make connections, explore, develop, express and share their own ideas and thoughts.

Creative development is made up of the following aspects:

Being Creative: Responding to experiences, expressing and communicating ideas - This covers the variety of ways children respond to what they see, hear, smell, touch or feel and how, as a result of these encounters, they express and communicate their own ideas, thoughts and feelings.

Exploring Media and Materials - Here, the focus is on children's independent and guided exploration of and engagement with a widening range of media and materials, finding out about, thinking about and working with colour, texture, shape, space and form in two and three dimensions.

Creating Music and Dance - This looks at children's independent and guided explorations of sound, movement and music. Focusing on how sounds can be made and changed and how sounds can be recognised and repeated from a pattern, it includes ways of exploring movement, matching movements to music and singing simple songs from memory.

Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play - How children are supported to develop and build their imaginations through stories, role-plays, imaginative play, dance, music, design, and art (EYFS 2008, pages 108-116).

PRACTICAL APPROACHES

Suffolk's Early Years and Childcare Service developed an 'Art in the Early Years' pack (2006) to support practitioners with practical approaches to creativity.

The pack was produced as the result of a project to extend the range of art-based experiences offered to young children. The settings were provided with:

• - training
• - art-based projects covering a range of experiences
• - a digital camera to record the project
• - basic art materials.

'Art in the Early Years' has been a useful resource for settings in Suffolk. It enables them to move away from traditional concepts of creativity to the idea that the media and materials associated with art can be used to creatively support all areas of learning and development, and all environments.

Although the pack itself was produced before the EYFS, the messages are still valid. Opportunities can be supported across all areas of learning and development by using a wide variety of open-ended resources and activities.

THE CONFIDENT PRACTITIONER

You may be reassured to know that practitioners don't need to be budding Picassos to support young children's exploration of the media and materials used in art.

Good drawing technique is definitely not a requirement. However, the enthusiasm and confidence to model and support the use of a range of art materials and processes is. This is not about telling the children how these should be used, but ways in which they can be used. The children can then be supported to further explore and experiment to see what else is possible.

This means the practitioner is facilitating, not controlling, the creative processes that individual children engage in. Controlling creative processes may include activities like drawing a picture for the children to colour in, or cutting out bits of the picture for the children to stick in a prescribed way, rather than giving them the tools and letting them use them to explore and create in a way they choose for themselves.

Practitioner role

The role of the adult is to support the children's creative development and to:

• - create a climate where curiosity is encouraged
• - give children time to explore, experiment and combine materials and processes
• - assist and encourage them to communicate their ideas and feelings
• - provide a stimulating learning environment
• - make resources accessible to allow children to initiate their own learning
• - provide a wide range of appropriate learning experiences in art and design
• - teach new techniques and skills in a context that is meaningful
• - ask questions and encourage children to talk as they engage in creative activity
• - model processes that the children have not explored before (the term modelling refers to a practitioner showing 'how').

The practitioner should provide opportunities for children to:

• - engage in exciting practical experiences
• - develop their creative language
• - have multi-sensory experiences (see, touch, hear, taste and smell)
• - develop positive relationships - for example, through playing, working, talking, listening, thinking and inventing through shared experiences
• - use their imagination.

INCLUSION

It is important to make sure every child has the opportunity to take part. All children must be able to access the activity, regardless of a particular need or disability.

Consider small modifications or adaptations to resources and equipment to make activities more accessible. Adaptations do not need to be expensive in order to work well. There are many simple adaptations to resources that allow children of all abilities to use them, and these will:

• - increase a child's opportunity to be successful
• - help a child to become a full and active participant
• - address the individual needs of the child
• - promote enjoyment, personal power and control.

THE CREATIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

A stimulating learning environment is fundamental in inspiring children and enabling them to make creative use of a full range of resources. Children should have opportunities both indoors and outside to initiate their own play, and a wide choice of resources to fire their imaginations.

The practitioner who values creativity will strive to produce a stimulating learning environment.

GENERATING IDEAS

It is important for adults to support children in generating their ideas and developing their thinking skills. Encourage and support the children to think and talk about what they are doing, what they intend to do and how they will go about it. This may involve recording (in images or words), creative questioning, and other methods.

It is important that ideas come from the children and that everyone is involved in this process. Talk with the children in groups and record their ideas on a whiteboard, in words and pictures as appropriate.

Bubble maps are a useful way to help children think about what they are going to do and to develop their ideas. A question or idea is written or drawn in a bubble (circle) in the centre of the map. The children can then draw or write to record their ideas and thinking around the centre of the map. Children can also use bubble maps to gather materials and equipment for a particular creative activity. A photograph can be taken to make a permanent record of this.

PLANNING A SPECIFIC SESSION

Children need to become familiar with materials through exploration and experimentation. Allow sufficient time for individuals to investigate materials and processes.

Encourage children to select, explore and experience resources and tools independently. This can happen through collaboration and dialogue with other children and adults, or in isolation. It is about giving children the opportunities to follow up, revisit and develop their own ideas.

Peer-coaching assists learning as children observe each other's creative activity. You are likely to observe children modelling processes and techniques to each other and becoming 'experts' in particular areas.

To promote independence, children should also help pack away after the activity. These experiences help the children to learn:

• - how to label and store their own work
• - where materials are kept
• - how to put things away safely (scissors pointing down)
• - cleaning routines that may be involved, such as washing paint pots, brushes
• - the importance of taking care of equipment.

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE

Consideration should be given to a child's age and stage of development when introducing a new experience or activity. Support, encourage and assist but do not determine specific outcomes.

Art 4-11: Art in the early years of schooling (Morgan 1988) provides an excellent explanation of the development of children's imagery, an area in which all practitioners should endeavour to increase their knowledge and understanding. This will help to you provide appropriate learning activities and support at each stage of a child's development.

We hope this article has broadened and challenged your ideas about 'creativity'. In future articles we will be focus on how creativity links to the use of different media and materials. The benefits to the children are many, and the confidence of staff will be increased so that meaningful creative experiences are embedded into everyday practice.

With thanks to Acton CEVCP Pre-school, Sudbury, Suffolk, for their help with photographs

FURTHER READING

All Our Futures (Robinson, K., 1999)

Art 4-11: Art in the early years of schooling (Morgan, M. 1988, last reprinted 1995), available from: www.nsead.org

Art in the Early Years: A Resource to Support Creativity (Suffolk County Council, 2006), available from: www.suffolk.gov.uk/childcare