Art And Creativity: Why They Matter In Early Education

Art helps kids grow in amazing ways.

It builds their thinking skills, improves fine motor abilities, and helps them express emotions even before they can fully talk. At Little Dinosaurs Childcare in Auckland, we use art to teach kids problem-solving, teamwork, and how to share ideas confidently. By creating with tools like paint, clay, or even natural materials, children learn to communicate, explore, and connect with others.

Key benefits of art in early education:

• Encourages flexible thinking and creativity.
• Improves fine motor skills for writing and maths readiness.
• Teaches sharing, turn-taking, and emotional awareness.
• Builds problem-solving and teamwork abilities.

At Little Dinosaurs, we follow New Zealand’s Te Whāriki curriculum, which values art as a way for children to grow socially and emotionally while learning about their world. By connecting home and school art activities, we create a supportive and inclusive environment for all tamariki.

How Art Shapes Early Development

How Art Supports Brain Growth

According to Te Whāriki's communication strand, activities like painting, drawing, and sculpting combine real-world experiences with imagination, encouraging flexible thinking. These creative tasks also improve fine motor skills - using brushes, scissors, or clay helps prepare children for writing and early maths.

But art isn't just about brainpower and motor skills - it also plays a role in emotional and social growth.

Developing Social and Emotional Skills

Aligned with Te Whāriki's contribution strand, art teaches children to share resources, take turns, express their ideas, and stick with tasks even when they’re tricky. It also offers a healthy way to express emotions, helping kids build emotional awareness and develop positive social connections. When children revisit and add to their artwork, they deepen their understanding of the world around them.

Together, these cognitive, social, and emotional benefits lay the groundwork for advanced skills like problem-solving and teamwork.

The Surprising Benefits of Art in Early Childhood Development

Future Benefits of Early Art Education

Art plays a key role in emotional and social development, helping children improve their ability to work with others and communicate effectively. Through artistic activities, children also enhance their problem-solving abilities and teamwork skills.

Improved Problem-Solving Skills

Art challenges kids to explore ideas, adjust their approaches, and learn through trial and error. By experimenting with different materials and techniques, they develop flexible thinking and build resilience - essential skills for tackling problems creatively.

Enhanced Teamwork and Communication

Engaging in art early on helps children learn to share ideas, think relationally, and find meaning in collaboration. This aligns with the principles of Te Whāriki’s contribution strand, where art becomes a way for children to express and exchange ideas.

"Art as a collaborative social practice situates art as a shared exchange, a relational form of thinking, narrating, investigating, making meaning, and articulating experience." – Dr Sylvia Kind

Collaborative art projects encourage children to voice their ideas, actively listen to others, and gain confidence in expressing themselves. These group activities teach them to:

• Explain their creative choices clearly and confidently
• Listen attentively to their peers’ perspectives
• Work well with others, sharing space and materials effectively
• Understand and value different viewpoints

Art Activities That Work

To help children develop cognitive and social skills through art, it's important to carefully organise your environment and routines. At Little Dinosaurs Childcare, we focus on providing a variety of materials that encourage creativity and skill-building.

Setting Up Art Spaces

Create accessible art areas with low shelves stocked with materials like paints, clay, collage supplies, and natural items. Let children access these supplies on their own and display their creations to encourage reflection and pride in their work.

Connecting Home and School Art

Encourage whānau to share ideas and contribute materials, and invite children to bring in their art from home. This approach helps bridge the gap between school and home, fostering a sense of continuity.

• Make art together to show your involvement and enthusiasm.
• Ask open-ended questions like, "Can you tell me about this?" and focus on praising their effort and creativity rather than the final product.

These strategies help children build problem-solving, communication, and resilience skills through art activities.

Art in New Zealand Education

The national curriculum principles provide a strong foundation for implementing these art-focused strategies on a larger scale.

Te Whāriki in Practice

Te Whāriki integrates kaupapa Māori principles into every art activity, building on the art space setup and strengthening connections between home and school. It highlights that kaiako (teachers) have a key role in supporting children's learning and development through thoughtful teaching methods. This includes providing purposeful art resources and spaces [2].

Our approach, grounded in early childhood education (ECE) research, includes:

• Using picture book illustrations to enhance visual literacy
• Encouraging group art projects and reflective conversations
• Supporting communication skills through shared creative activities

Making Art for Everyone

With half of Aotearoa's early learners identifying as Māori, Pasifika, or Asian, it's crucial to ensure that art activities are culturally inclusive [3]. Visual arts provide a meaningful way for children to explore and celebrate their own cultural identities while learning about those of their peers.

At Little Dinosaurs Childcare, we embrace cultural diversity by:

• Collaborating with whānau to understand each family's cultural values
• Celebrating various cultural festivals through creative projects
• Co-creating art activities with whānau that showcase diverse heritages

"Each early childhood education service should ensure that programmes and resources are sensitive and responsive to the different cultures and heritages among the families of the children attending the service." - Ministry of Education [3]

Conclusion

Visual arts help tamariki develop critical thinking, build emotional strength, and gain social confidence, all while easing stress [1]. At Little Dinosaurs Childcare, we embrace this approach with dedicated art spaces and a curriculum shaped by Te Whāriki's perspective on creativity. These early experiences with art lay the groundwork for tamariki to grow into confident, lifelong learners.