Three to five year olds love to engage with music and movement and naturally enjoy singing, dancing, exploring sound sources, listening and being creative. At this age, children also experience many great advances in development. Music education can be extremely beneficial in supporting this development, helping children establish crucial physical and social–emotional skills. It can […]
Artistic pursuits such as music, dramatic play and the visual arts contribute to how children understand creativity and develop their own sense of identity. Popular theories in this field suggest that children’s artistic abilities are often underestimated; and that when given opportunities to explore artistic practice and creative thinking, they generally have stronger outcomes in […]
Children like to draw. Around the age of two they discover the sheer pleasure of making marks. They pick up any crayon, pencil or pen and they scribble. Our toddlers are not trying to represent reality with these scribbles. It is simply a joyful exploration of their own new found power – the ability to […]
Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian Viking For a prime example of Australia’s innovation economy in action, look no further than the humble picture book. Staple of bedtime reading, offering textual delights beyond the verbal, picture books are a hidden treasure. Australian picture books sell around the world, and are translated into many languages — take […]
Just about every institution these days is looking for creative individuals. Adults who can innovate in high-quality ways and contribute to the progress of science, engineering and the arts. Creative expressions start from an early age. Children express creativity through “pretend play” – an activity that involves using imagination and make-believe. They make up stories […]
Children’s picture books, artworks and pop songs have been created to share. Right? It is not that simple. Early Childhood Australia has been working on a special Copyright Licence that protects early childhood services as well as the makers and owners of creative works. Most of us don’t think twice before cutting and pasting a digital picture into a newsletter, sharing a […]
What is creativity and why is it so important to support children’s creative thinking? For such a common topic, creativity is difficult to define. In an early childhood setting, creativity is often linked to art—painting and drawing and so on. However, creativity is also an important part of developing children’s problem solving and innovative thinking. […]
