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The Artistic Innovator:
It is not just a pretend play session for the child, it is a way they are expressing
themselves both cognitively and artistically! How can you tell what each child is interested in if
they have not yet told you? How does the child know what they are interested in if they have
limited environmental exposure? Through pretend play, of course!
Introduce the monthly theme, Egypt. Try and connect it with previous themes, how does
it work? Allow the children the time to develop their sense of curiosity by using the knowledge
they already have to connect with new knowledge, ideas, or inquiries that are provoked from the
new theme. How can you, as the teacher, further guide them and encourage them to unravel their
minds? Show them something provocative like the ancient pyramids, let them ask you, how does
this work as they build their own pyramids. Once they have grasped the initial concept, they will
use the artistic side of their brain to develop the pyramid according to their understanding. This
is a perfect opportunity to teach them other valuable skills along the process, like shapes and
three dimensional figures. This will further enable them to inquire through the arts about
valuable concepts they will need to know for life.
It is important to remember that by exploring imagination through art, we are forcing the
children to use the right side of their brains, the creative side. Typically children are using the
left sides of their brains in the classroom through traditional academic teaching methods and
strategies. The left side controls neurologically processes such as: logic, reasoning, and symbolic
comprehension. The right side: non-verbal, non-symbolic, and creativity. This is how you are
going to plan your arts this month—allow them to solve problems through imaginative art
creations. It is important to understand that even if a child has poor motor control due to age,
etc., that allowing them to develop their own ideas through art is important because they are still
using the right side of their brain to solve even the most simple of tasks, which colors to use,
which textures to explore, etc. The more they use it, the more it will develop and flourish, which
is what we are striving for!