University/Organization
College of Education
University of South Carolina, Columbia
Title
WHY ART AND CREATIVITY ARE AT THE CENTER OF CURRICULUM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD?
Synopsis
How do children learn and express themselves? How do children think? What role do imagination, thinking, and cognitive development play in learning Art and Creativity during early childhood? I believe Art and Creativity are interconnected and the creative development in children is expressed through their artistic abilities. Art is all about process and not product in children. Creativity enhances Art, building on their imaginations. This paper explores how Art starts with scribbling and scratching among toddlers and transforms into drawing, painting, and coloring in the early childhood period. Creativity is one’s own expression and continues throughout one’s life. Thus, Art is how children express themselves when they are actively involved in their own learning. Some other forms of Art are expressed in Music, Acting, and Play in children. This makes Art and Creativity the center of curriculum during the early childhood period. “For creativity to flourish in an educational setting, it is necessary for learners to be actively involved in the process of their own learning ” (Prentice, 2000).