The Essay On Importance Of Creativity In Preschool Curriculum & Critique Of The Creative Curriculum.

Discuss About The Critique Of The Creative Curriculum For Preschool.

Arts in Creativity

According to the New Oxford American dictionary, creativity can be defined as the imagination or original ideas usage in producing artistic work. This definition therefore makes it hard to separate creativity from art. Creativity is an inborn trait that cannot be taught in school but can be enhanced through one's practice during a child’s development stages. When offered practice opportunity, creativity can be developed and may feel more natural.

Creativity can be expressed in many ways. Composition and singing of music are one-way children can express their creativity. Here the children are able to display their skills and refine on others through rhythm and performance. This can be coupled up by dancing which is another form of creative art where children enhance their coordination and movement skills. There also exist drama and theatrics which help children on expressing themselves. All this form of arts helps children develop intellectually, socially, physically and emotionally. This paper also examines the importance of creativity in schools and curriculum Business development.

Visual art is the art that includes drawings and paintings, modeling using dough and clay, uses of figure and shapes, use of glue and paper. All this visual art is related to the perception of children and cognitive processing (Kids-collective.com, 2016). As children take time and practice the artistic works, they develop the mastery of this art by combining shapes and figures. This is transferred from imagination to a physical object which may not be recognizable to another person but to the child only. These skills are enhanced with more practice and with time the child may model an object closer to an original object.

Drama is another art that a child may use to express creativity that is inborn. At the elementary school stage, the children have already developed complex imaginative capacity and they are able to take part in small plays in drama at school or church (Kids-collective.com, 2016). At this stage, the children use stories and songs as the basics of their plays. This increases the children’s imaginations and they are able to understand the real world better. Their creativity is at the maximum when they have new things around them. Drama encourages confidence and gives room for self-expression of the children.

Music is a crucial component of learning for young and developing minds. This is due to their inborn love for music where they love and enjoy singing as much as listening. They are fascinated by the melodies, repetitions, and rhythms (Kids-collective.com, 2016). Children are exposed to music instruments during music classes where they understand how sound is produced, how it can be changed and how a rhythm can be created. It is through such classes that children learn several things among them teamwork, self-control, and concentration.

Importance of Creativity In Children

Dancing is another performing art that is attributed to music. This is a good way to transform the energy of the children to a more creative art (Kids-collective.com, 2016). Here children may enhance their skills on teamwork and moving with the rhythm. Creativity in dancing may also broaden when children are involved in costume design and selection for performance purposes.

Creativity plays a vital role in children's development in all areas during growth. Children are able to develop physically due to creativity. When examined closely, people’s actions, for instance, coordination and movement show that they are as a result of fine and gross motor-skills (Chen, 2016). Sensorimotor in the pre-operational development stage of a child is responsible for the development of these actions at an early stage. Here a child develops physical skills that are enhanced with time as a child grows to old age. A child left and supported to discover for himself or herself will develop these skills with confidence than a child brought up by an overprotective caregiver. Creativity is enhanced by the practice of different types of art such as dancing as a performance art. When children manipulate tools, they unconsciously interact with the world physically. It is through such activities that a Child’s imagination is put to play on how the real world works. It is here that they develop preferences such as which hand to use in carrying out any activity. This also refines physical skills such as holding and controlling a pen or a painting brush. This plays an important part in helping a child develop physically by refining movement and coordination skills among others.

Adults use art to express their passion, pass time which and also express feelings they might find difficult to express in other ways. Children use art to express the same but in a different manner to that of adults. On top of expressing themselves, children use creativity and art as an outlet to discover and attain control of their emotions (Chen, 2016). Art such as acting, dramatic plays, singing, playing among others is all suited to help children explore their emotional abilities. Children also develop emotionally as they can use tools used in arts to express themselves when they cannot express themselves verbally (Gray, 2008). Creativity enhances the confidence of children as they carry out creativity exercises. This also raises their self-esteem when they craft something successfully. These activities make children proud of their achievements and the develops the mastery of the environment with time (Kids-collective.com, 2016).

Creativity in School and Curriculum Development

It is at the developmental stages that children develop concentration which leads to developing intellectually (Kids-collective.com, 2016). This concentration leads them to pay more attention to what is going on around them and the basic things that they experience (Ginsburg, 2007). When they engage in creative art activities, it fosters their understanding of what is happening around them and why it is happening (Chen, 2016). This stimulates their brain to think on different perspectives which develops critical thinking trait and decision making as they continue to interact with these activities. Learning new things through art and creativity expands the children’s thinking and mental capacities and therefore leads to children developing intellectually.

As children interact in creativity and art, they develop cognitive abilities which are brought about by social interactions. Children will always find a learning environment when they interact with other children or adults with more knowledge. They do this by trying to copy and practice what others are doing when they are around (Chen, 2016). Through this interaction brought about by art and creativity, children develop basic skills of socializing. This enhances other skills such as respect, sympathy, and communication. Art and creativity, therefore, help children in developing socially through interactions and sharing (Kids-collective.com, 2016).

Books and art go hand in hand when it comes to the interests of children. This goes without question that children love music, drama, drawing, and dancing as it is seen in most of the children around the world (Kohl, 2015). More recent research shows that success in reading is associated with the love of books in early childhood. Children are even more interested when it comes to reading aloud which can be said to be more than saying words in children. As children try and comprehend what is seen and read in books, it enhances their thinking capacity as well as their critical thinking. Art is incorporated in books in form of pictures which makes it easier for children to follow up ideas step by step.

In developing the early childhood education curriculum, there needs to be put strategies and measures that foster creativity in children (Gullickson et al., 2018). It should be spread across all the people involved in children learning and more so in a school environment. The curriculum is designed in such a way that it emphasizes more on the process of improving creativity rather than the product itself (Carter, 2008). This is because children at these early development stages are still developing in all aspects and what they create at this stage will also improve with quality as they advance in age. This is important to the child as he or she feels is the master of the moment and therefore developing confidence with time.

Early childhood education is based on accepting the children’s ideas as they are. Restructuring of these ideas to fit that of an adult would be of no help as the child’s mental capacity may not match that of an adult (Kohl, 2015).. This is of great importance in molding children to become more responsible adults in the future with a sense of direction when it comes to solving issues.

Creating an art center within the learning institution of the kids would be a good idea in nurturing creativity through art (Gullickson et al., 2018). This will create an environment where a child can express his or her thoughts with the right guidance. This will also enable children to explore their abilities and it would become easy to determine what the child’s strengths are and what interests the child more. This will be of great importance as the children will become more independent in carrying out their duties.

Early childhood curriculum is more effective when creativity is expanded to other areas of art rather than books (Gullickson et al., 2018). Other areas of creativity that are effective are form of arts that children take part in that have been discussed in this paper. This includes music, drama, dancing and also visual art.

Parents and caregivers have a major role to play so as to inspire creativity in children. This can be done through various ways such as preparing for a mess when a child is involved in creativity and art activities. A child with the freedom to explore various ideas without being questioned on matters mess is in a good position to develop creativity more effectively (Carter, 2008). Caregivers should also leave the children to explore their ideas without being given directions on what to do where. This will see the outcome as the full imagination work of the child. It is also advisable for caregivers to give straightforward and positive comments about the art. This will encourage the child more and creativity will be at its peak for the child. This will be complemented by the exploration of the child's process where one can assess the level of creativity (Thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au, 2016). It is also advisable to support the child morally and through the provision of tools but not in the actual art. Children need to feel what they have performed or have drawn is complete without addition or removal of anything from the art.

Conclusion

Art and creativity are essential when it comes to the early stages of learning. Art and creativity help children in developing in many ways. Sensor motor skills that are acquired in the first stages of development are enhanced by art and creativity which involves coordination and movement. Drama and theatrics enable children to express themselves and discover their emotional abilities thus developing emotionally. They also develop socially as they enhance their cognitive abilities through interacting, communicating and sharing with other children. It also helps them develop intellectually by learning the new things they come across. This also develops their critical thinking and problem solving which are very important skills in a person life.

Creativity in children can only be tapped if their caregivers at home and at elementary school give them room to practice their art. They do this by the provision of tools, being supportive in terms of motivation, encouraging the child to try new things among others. This will give a child a conducive environment for practice which will build the confidence of the child.

References

Carter, C. (2008). 7 Ways to Foster Creativity in Your Kids. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/7_ways_to_foster_creativity_in_your_kids

Chen, S. (2016). The Importance of Creative Arts in Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from https://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/importance-creative-arts-ece/

Ginsburg, K. (2007). The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. Retrieved from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/1/182

Gray, P. (2008). The Value of Play I: The Definition of Play Gives Insights. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/200811/the-value-play-i-the-definition-play-gives-insights

Gullickson, H., Cameron, R., Marose, L., Tiefenthaler, I., & Nice, Accounting. (2018). Critique of the Creative Curriculum for Preschool. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=ecsip

Kids-collective.com. (2016). The Importance of Creativity in Preschool Education - Kids Collective. Retrieved from https://kids-collective.com/blog/how-to-help-your-child-be-creative-the-importance-of-creativity-in-preschool-education/

Kohl, M. (2015). What is Creativity? | Process Art and Creativity | Bright Ring Publishing, Inc. Retrieved from https://brightring.com/about-creativity/fostering-creativity/

Thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au. (2016). Supporting children’s creativity - The Spoke – Early Childhood Australia's Blog. Retrieved from https://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/supporting-childrens-creativit