Young Children As Artists ― Art and Design in the Early Years and Key Stage 1

From the moment a child is born, they interact with the sensory world, looking at colours, feeling textures; making mental and physical images of what they see and experience. Within all our early years settings and into KS1, our aim, as practitioners, is to provide as many opportunities as possible to stimulate, excite and ignite the visual and tactile imagination of our young children.

Young Children as Artists considers how art can be managed, understood and relished as an essential ingredient towards the creative potential of each unique young child. The focus, throughout the book, is to enjoy, celebrate and extend what a young child can do in art and show how we, as engaged adults and the wider school community, can become confident participants in the process of early years art making.

Full of practical advice on to how to design, develop, resource and extend art and design environments within the early years setting, this book brings together:

• Developing skills for positive and participative adult interaction and engagement
• Fully understanding and analysing child involvement in art
• Planning for opportunities and responding to observation and schema art and design
• Practical suggestions for environment, activities and resources (inside and out)
• Ideas to explore sensory development and awareness
• Ways to manage and savour the art transition into KS1
• Ways to encourage parental participation and understanding of the art process with their children

The content and messages in this book will help you to invigorate the art in your setting, by considering what is accessible, individual, inspiring and meaningful for young children and how, we, as the adults can best support their formative paths of enquiry.

Suzy Tutchell is Senior Lecturer in Education (Early Years and Art) at the University of Winchester. She has extensive experience of documenting and promoting creative learning through early years foundation stage, and continuing and extending learning through creativity, curiosity and imagination into KS1 and 2.