CREATIVE ART IN

THE FOUNDATION
PHASE
 DEFINING CREATIVITY
• According to MEB (2006) creativity is a comprehensive concept including cognitive
processes such as perception, sensitivity, flexibility, rationalism, intuition and discovery,
which are commonly used in our daily lives.
• Creativity has often been interpreted by society as synonymous with artistic expression
(Prentice, 2000; Eckhoff, 2011; Saracho, 2012).
• It is particularly necessary that suitable emotional and physical environment be arranged,
necessary tools and equipment be provided and teacher have the attitudes supporting
creativity to foster it in school settings (Oren, 2009).
• Creativity has been correlated with intelligence, and a vast amount of research on
multiple intelligences has provided further evidence that creativity can take many forms.
For example, Gardner (1993) states that intelligence can be expressed through the
traditional outlets of logical spatial and linguistic expression, yet can also be expressed
kinesthetically, intra-personally, inter-personally, naturalistically, existentially, musically,
and visio-spatially.
• Multiple intelligences suggest there are multiple ways individuals can creatively learn and
express solutions to novel situations
• Creativity has also been interpreted as the product of highly intelligent individuals.
Similarly, other researchers have viewed creativity as an inherent characteristic only few
possess and only to be studied in famous individuals.
• Supporting individuals to be creative starting from the young ages will contribute in
forming societies that are creative and think freely in the future.
• Raising creative individuals who can think freely can be made possible when creative
teachers implement programs improving creativity
 CREATIVE ART
• Creative arts are activities that actively engage children’s imagination through music,
visual arts, movement and dance, and drama and storytelling.
• Creative arts engage children across all domains—cognitive, language, social, emotional,
and physical.
• Creative arts activities are deliberately open-ended, foster divergent thinking, and support
the process without particular attention on the product.
• Learners should be exposed to creative art as early as in preschool.
• Preschoolers learn and develop through creative activities like drama, craft, music
and dance.
• Experiencing, discovering and experimenting are the most important parts of
preschooler creative activities.
• Encourage preschoolers by letting them lead creative activities, giving them time
and space, and praising them.
• You can adapt creative activities for preschoolers with diverse abilities.
 THE BENEFITS OF THE CREATIVE ARTS

Creative art is important in child development in the following ways:

• develop imagination and creativity
• build confidence
• understand and express emotions
• learn about the world and their place in it
• physical and cognitive development
• communicate thoughts, experiences or ideas
• practise and improve social skills
• practise and improve fine motor skills, gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination
• build vocabulary and memory
• practise decision-making, problem-solving and critical thinking
• The benefits of including and stressing the creative arts in an early childhood education
are numerous and expansive, ranging from the physical to the emotional to the mental.
• According to researchers, the creative arts also foster the development of children’s
cognitive abilities. Exploring and participating in creative play triggers the use of kids’
imagination, which in turn stimulates and expands their mental capacities.
• According to Lev Vygotsky, such play enables kids to learn new things, going beyond the
previously held belief that children reflect the world around them to state that they
internalize and begin to understand it
• Vygotsky believed that this learning process is dependent on children’s social
interactions, terming it “scaffolding,” in which a child with a smaller knowledge base
increases her skill level by emulating an individual with a larger knowledge base, be it
another child or an adult. For example, if a child with underdeveloped fine motor skills
sees her friend excelling at painting, she will copy his movements and thus improves
her abilities.
• Creative arts not only cultivate children’s imaginations, so that they become more flexible
and inventive thinkers, but also help to develop their physical, emotional, and mental
capabilities.
• As a Foundation Phase teacher, it is important to allow your learners to lead with creative
activities.
• The key is for your child to explore their own creative interests and express themselves,
so see what your child wants to do before you suggest something.
• Sometimes your child might need some extra help or encouragement. Or your child
might want you to join in the fun! By being actively involved, you can develop your
child’s skills and understanding. Being creative and playing with your child is also good
for your relationship.
• When you’re doing a creative activity with your learners, it’s good to show them that
there’s more than one way to do something. For example, you can ask questions like
‘How many ways can you draw a person?’ or ‘Show me how many sounds you can make
with the drum’. This encourages your learners to enjoy being creative rather than trying
to do something ‘right’ or make something perfect.
Encourage the use of homemade toys and free activities
• Homemade toys and free activities at home help children learn and develop, because they
can really boost creativity and imagination. They’re also great for building relationship
between the adult and the child , and they’re a lot of fun.
• There are plenty of ordinary things around your home that you can use for toys, games,
activities and open-ended play. For example, young children usually love putting on and
taking off the lids of containers, and older children often enjoy playing make-believe with
old sheets and towels. Just make sure that the things you give your child are safe to use – for
example, they’re non-toxic, unbreakable and too big to be choking hazards.
TODDLER TOYS AND PLAY ACTIVITIES

Although our focus is in ages 5-9 in FP, however it is good for a teacher to understand how toddler play so as
to be able to identify if a child is delayed or has barriers.
• Toddler play is often about experimenting, observing, trying out ideas and figuring out how things
work. For example, your child probably loves to ‘post’ things – often behind the couch or between car
seats.
• You could try the following ideas for toys and play activities for toddlers:
• Give your toddler some pegs and a peg container . Your child will happily move pegs in and out of the
container – over and over and over again!
• Cut pieces of cardboard into small envelopes and decorate them. You could also make a ‘post box’ by
cutting slits into the front of an old ice-cream container or cardboard box.
• Make some playdough and roll it into balls, pancakes, sausages and other shapes – whatever
your toddler likes.
• Put together a box of old clothes for some dress-ups or pretend play. You could also make
costumes out of household bits and pieces, like cardboard boxes, foil, fabric scraps and so on.
• Make a treasure box. This is a simple box or container filled with everyday items and natural
materials, like different sized and textured balls or scraps of paper, shells or leaves. Your
toddler will have fun discovering what’s inside.
• Go for some outdoor play in the backyard, local playground, beach or park.
• Preschooler toys and play activities
• In preschool (Grade R) you can make sock puppets with old socks. Sew on buttons or paste other
bits of material for eyes, nose and hair.
• Give your child old cardboard boxes to turn into cars, houses, shop counters, kitchen stoves and
more.
• Get your child started on some collage with paper, glue and things to stick. This might be things
like pictures cut out of catalogues, scraps of paper, ribbon or fabric, dried pasta, natural materials
and so on.
• Play simple word-spotting games, counting games and memory games
SCHOOL-AGE TOYS AND PLAY ACTIVITIES

• Let your child help you out with small household chores and tasks. Children often enjoy
collecting the mail, helping to fold clean washing or watering the garden.
• Play word games – for example, make up silly rhymes and riddles.
• Make a family story book with your child, using family photos and drawings
 CONCLUSION
• In the early years, children explore the world around them, experiment with new
concepts, and learn new words and the meaning of words, through singing, dancing,
drawing, and dramatic play.
• The arts can instil creativity, a love of learning, and motivation to go to school