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Aesthetics and Creative Expression
Aesthetics and Creative Expression (A&C)
As an early childhood educator, you play an important role in promoting children’s creativity and imagination, and a love and pursuit for beauty through a variety of learning experiences in:Art: Children engage in art experiences, experimenting with various materials to express themselves creatively and explore the elements of art through different media and techniques.
Elements of Art
The basic elements of art include:
- Line
- Colour
- Shape
- Texture
Music and Movement: Children experience the elements of music as they listen and move to a variety of music, sing songs of different genres and improvise on musical instruments.
Elements of Music
The basic elements of music include:
- Dynamics
- Tempo
- Pitch and melody
- Rhythm and beat
- Timbre
- Form
What are the benefits?
Aesthetics and Creative Expression, found in art, music, and movement, offer numerous benefits for children:
- Building children’s self-confidence: When children express their views and how they understand the world through the arts, they develop self-confidence and are more secure and ready to adapt and participate in a new environment.
- Enhancing problem-solving and creative thinking: When children are given opportunities to explore and experience different media, art techniques, types of music and musical instruments, opportunities for reasoning, problem-solving and using their imagination arise.
- Developing the whole child: varied opportunities in the arts foster the development of the whole children, including their creativity, as well as the cognitive, physical and social and emotional domains.
Learning Goals and Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions (KSDs) in A&C
Aesthetics and Creative Expression
Learning Goal 1: Enjoy participating in art and music and movement activities
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1.1 Develop an interest in art and music and movement activities
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Learning Goal 2: Express ideas and feelings through art and music and movement
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Art 2.1 Develop an awareness of the following elements of art: lines, colours, shapes and textures 2.2 Explore and use elements of art to represent ideas and feelings in creating their artworks 2.3 Explore creating 2- and 3- dimensional art using a variety of media, tools, techniques and processes |
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Music and Movement 2.4 Develop an awareness of the following elements of music: dynamics, tempo, pitch and rhythm 2.5 Explore and use environmental sounds, vocal sounds, body percussion and/or simple percussion instruments to demonstrate awareness of the elements of music 2.6 Keep a steady beat using body movements (e.g., clapping, tapping, marching) when listening or moving to music 2.7 Create music or sound effects using vocal sounds, body percussion and/or percussion instruments in response to a stimulus (e.g., music, song, story, rhyme, sounds in the environment) 2.8 Explore and use different body movements to express ideas and feelings in response to a stimulus (e.g., music, song, story, rhyme) 2.9 Sing a variety of songs with or without accompanying actions, body percussion, or percussion instruments 2.10 Perform a simple movement or dance routine |
Learning Goal 3: Appreciate art and music and movement
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Art 3.1 Observe and develop an awareness of the aesthetics in the immediate environment and experiences 3.2 Develop an awareness of different artworks and art forms (e.g., paintings, sculptures, architecture, photographs) from local and global cultures 3.3 Share ideas and feelings about their own artworks and those of their peers and others |
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Music and Movement 3.4 Develop an awareness of sounds in the immediate environment and from a variety of sources 3.5 Develop an awareness of different types of music and dance performances (e.g., bhangra, Chinese opera, dikir barat, joget, lion dance, modern dance) from local and global cultures |
How can you do it?
Open-ended arts and music and movement experiences makes learning enjoyable for children, allowing them the space to imagine, be creative and curious, and acquire knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
Here are some strategies to facilitate art, music, and movement learning experiences:
Strategies for Art and Music and Movement
Role-modelling and valuing children’s expression in the arts
When children observe you engaging with art and music and movement with eagerness and enthusiasm, they become more willing and motivated to experiment and try out their own ideas. It's important for teachers and children to discuss their creative work and the processes of exploring art, music, and movement.
Using Novel and Sensory Experiences
You can use novel experiences and sensory experiences, coupled with stimulating questions and scenarios to evoke children's sense of wonder and curiosity, inspiring them to create art, music, and movement.
Using Themes
You can create art, music, and movement activities based on a theme to guide and extend children’s creative expressions. They may serve as an avenue for children to communicate what they know, feel, and think about the topic, fostering a deeper and more meaningful engagement with the subject matter.
Using Picture Books
You can use picture books with positive messages about the arts to:
- Encourage exploration in art
- Introduce elements of art
- Introduce famous artists and their artworks
- Engage and inspire with stimulating illustrations
- Introduce popular songs or classical music
- Encourage children’s enjoyment of music and sounds around them
- Encourage children to sing and move along to repetitive lines or simple rhymes
Using Thinking Routines
You can use thinking routines like “See, Think, Wonder” to facilitate conversations with children about the arts.
Additional Strategies for Art
Using Artwork and Other Art Forms
You can use artwork to expand the way children look at art and the world, be aware of the aesthetics of art and inspire them to experiment and create. Art exhibitions and public art trails also provide opportunities for children to observe and appreciate art.
Using a Variety of Art Materials
Art materials form the basis for the creation of any artwork. You can provide children easy access to an array of materials in sufficient quantity and variety, which allows them to experiment and become familiar with using different types of materials to create art. This fosters exploration, creativity, and a deeper understanding of artistic expression.
Using Games
Games can get children to exercise their creativity in a fun and open-ended way. Try these games which can expose children to different ways of thinking and drawing or novel tools and techniques.
- Relay Drawing
- Simon Says
- Art Dice
- Scribble Game
Additional Strategies for Music and Movement
Exploring a Variety of Music and Dances
You can provide opportunities for children to sing and listen to rhymes, chants and songs with different moods, contexts, culture and languages. You should select songs that:
- Are meaningful to the children
- Have repeated phrases or patterns and short lines
- Encourage children to move rhythmically
- Have a comfortable tempo and range for singing
You can tap on children’s natural love for moving and dancing around and provide them with opportunities to engage in both spontaneous and open-ended experiences, and structured experiences with music and movement. Some experiences include:
- Exploring sounds in the environment
- Moving imaginatively
- Moving in response to music
- Improvising movements and actions to music
Using Body Percussion, Musical Instruments and Props
You can provide opportunities for children to discover different ways of creating sounds and rhythms through body percussion.
Examples of Body Percussion
MOE (2023). Nurturing Early Learners Educators’ Guide for Aesthetics and Creative Expression, Body Percussion (pp. 85). Singapore.
Similarly, children can learn how each instrument works, explore the different sounds, and experiment with music-making. Props can also be used to enhance and enrich children’s experiences in music and movement activities, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of music and rhythm.
Organising the Learning Environment
Generally, the environment should be purposeful and aesthetically pleasing to develop children’s appreciation for beauty around them. You can organise the physical, interactional and temporal environment to promote children’s learning and development in aesthetics and creative expression.
Physical Environment
When organising the physical environment for art and music and movement learning experiences, you can consider the following:
- Flexible use of space for individual, small group and large group activities: You can use available spaces in the centre flexibly for different art and music and movement activities, while allocating a defined space for individual or small group exploration of art and music and movement.
- Sufficient space to facilitate children’s engagement with the arts: You should ensure that children have the time and space to explore and experiment freely with the arts. The outdoors is a less restrictive space that promotes children’s full engagement in the arts experience.
- Purposeful selection and organisation of art materials and musical instruments: You can enhance children’s learning experiences by providing them with easy access to developmentally appropriate art materials and musical instruments.
Interactional Environment
Create an inviting environment that values each child’s individual expression. Provide the time and space for children to work collaboratively in groups, share ideas, and express their feelings about their own creations and those of their peers. This approach fosters both individual creativity and collaborative learning, enriching the overall artistic and creative experience for the children.
Temporal Environment
You can provide experiences in the arts as part of children’s daily routines in the preschool centre through planned or spontaneous opportunities. It is also important to establish clear routines and expectations when children engage with the arts to maximise time for learning.
Monitoring and assessing children's learning and development
Teachers observe children’s experiences in the arts to gain insights into how children understand the world around them, as well as their thoughts, ideas, and feelings about themselves and their experiences. Additionally, teachers gain a better understanding of children’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions for the learning area of Aesthetics and Creative Expression. By identifying children’s learning needs in the arts, teachers can respond accordingly, adjust instruction, and plan appropriate activities to enhance the children’s creative experiences in art, music, and movement activities.
You can ask open-ended questions to find out what children are doing and examine and interpret their responses and actions to better understand children.
Resources
- Educators’ Guide for Aesthetics and Creative Expression
- Printables for Aesthetics and Creative Expression
- T&L resources page
