Art is more than just painting or drawing.

Benefits to Child Development

The benefits children receive from engaging in creative arts is far beyond what you can imagine. Targeting all developmental domains through the key areas outlined.

Developmental	Subsequent Development
Emotional	Cooperative play, Solitary play & Parallel play Resilience & persistence
Social	Self-expressions & emotional regulation Understanding of inclusion & exclusion Cultural awareness & cultural competence
Physical	Fine & Gross motor Balance & coordination Fundamental movement skills Complex movement skills
Cognitive	Creativity & imagination Representation & memory recall
Language	Expressive & Receptive Oral & written

 

Creative arts holistically contribute to the three core elements of the Early Years Learning Framework; Being, Belonging and Becoming. Creative arts encourage children to explore who they are, where they belong and who they want to be (DEWWR, 2009).

Creative Arts within Thrive Early Learning Centres

Aligning with Thrive’s philosophical beliefs from theorist Lev Vygotsky, creative arts play enables children to learn new things through play in social settings, using their current cultural understanding to recognise what they presently know and using the perspectives of others to build on their perceptions. These social interactions are core to children’s cognitive progression, as children engage in what is known as ‘peer scaffolding’. Peer scaffolding occurs regularly within our Thrive services, using creative arts children are encouraged to express and convey their ideas and views, allowing others to build on their existing knowledge base (Raban & Nolan, 2015).

For example, if a child knows the dance moves to a particular song, a secondary child can watch and/or listen to their instruction to learn the moves also. This is consistent across all the art forms.

To ensure our curriculum reflects a dynamic array of creative arts, when we evaluate and plan our weekly curriculum we ensure each discipline within the arts is included in the curriculum ensuring it is child-focused.

Recently, our Thrive children have shown a big interest in

-Dress up play

-Shop dramatic play

-Musical instruments

-Ribbon dancing

-Cultural music dance and song

-Photography – we call this ‘through the eyes of the child’

-Puppet play

References

Chen, S. (2016) The Importance of Creative Arts in Early Childhood Education.

https://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/importance-creative-arts-ece/

Dinham, J., & Chalk, B. (2017). It’s arts play : Young children belonging, being and

becoming through the arts. Oxford University Press.

DEWWR. (2009). BELONGING, BEING & BECOMING The Early Years Learning

Framework for Australia.

https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_bec

oming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Meet Merrylands Centre Leader, Miss Maggie.

We all know the critical work of early childhood educators in helping shape the future and wellbeing of Australian children. We want to take the time to recognise the wonderful educational team that strive every day to care, love, keep safe and ensure every child reaches their absolute potential for emotional, social and physical development whilst in their care.

Our feature this month recognises a powerhouse in our Thrive community, Miss Maggie Bazouni, Centre Leader of Thrive Merrylands. Not only does Miss Maggie have over 21 years experience in the sector, she is raising a young family of her own and is so dedicated in nurturing, challenging and developing her team.

Tell us about your career background.

Straight out of school I knew this was the field I wanted to work in. I went to University to obtain my Bachelor of Teaching and decided to go in the Early Childhood Sector. I have been working in the field for 21 years. Over the course of my career and I have cherished the opportunity to lead teams in providing a high-quality service for our families and children.

Why is Early Childhood Education important to you?

I believe the early years are the foundation for a childs future development, providing a strong base for lifelong learning and developing abilities in all areas of life and education including social, language, emotional and cognitive skills. We are responsible for the success of a childs development in all facets of their life, and nothing is more important than encouraging that child to excel, reach their potential and nurture their individuality.

What is one of your favourite things about working in Early Childhood Education?

My favourite thing about working in Early Childhood Education is watching the children grow and develop in a fun, play-based learning environment. I love watching the childrens smiles when they build on their achievements. It is so rewarding to see those same children in later years, and they remember who I am, it makes me believe that I have had an impact on their lives.

Share something positive and/or interesting about the Thrive Merrylands team.

Our Merrylands team is one of diversity, energy and passion. We each love to share our love for learning, our knowledge, interests and culture and work together to build a great environment for our children and their families.

My team come to work every day with the eagerness to plan, implement and engage with children in all areas by providing them with different opportunities for exploration and learning. Witnessing them have such a positive impact on the life and education of the children in our care is a reward in itself.