Creative play helps children learn
Creative play time is both natural and a way for young children to learn, according to experts.
Mary Vetere, an associate professor at Slippery Rock University, teaches young children's artistic development in the school's education department.
“The arts are the special way that children learn,” Vetere said. “I think parents need to know that expressive arts are a powerful learning tool.”
The arts, including visual arts, music and drama, help children learn to work with their bodies, including fine and gross motor skills, and with higher-level thinking, Vetere said.
“Young children participate in creating art not for the product, but for the process, the act of doing,” she said.
For example, they learn about colors by mixing paints; clapping to music and marching helps them learn to count; nursery rhymes and singing help them expand language skills, and doing drama or creative play allows them to reflect on what they see in life, using their own words, Vetere said.
“I think it's so important that we support a child's investigation of the arts,” she said. “There's research out there that supports connecting arts to better performance on standardized tests.”
Music and the study of music, for example, can help children to move, to transition among tasks and to perform better on tests.
“If you know how to center yourself, focus and relax ... higher test scores are the result,” Vetere said.
Alice Nunes, chief executive officer of the Butler County Children's Center, agrees that creative arts are important learning tools for children.
The center operates multiple Early Head Start, Head Start, Pre-K Counts and kindergarten classrooms. Each classroom has two art centers and one dramatic play center, Nunes said. One art center always has a double-sided easel with paint.
“Children can always go and paint,” she said.
The second art center holds markers and paper so that children can draw if they desire, Nunes said.
The dramatic play centers are stocked with dress-up clothes, telephones, and cooking utensils so the children can express themselves, she said. Through dress-up, children learn social and emotional skills.“Three- and 4-year-olds — we want them to explore, to develop their creative sense,” Nunes said.Vetere said any family can create an environment where children can participate in and appreciate the arts. Here are her tips:Turn off the television and turn on the radio and sing and dance with your child.Give children a paper and pencil, markers or crayons and let them draw.Teach children the nursery rhymes and children's songs that you remember, or make up your own songs.Encourage children to move with games that ask them to “stand tall,” “stand small,” “act like a snake,” or other commands.Take children outside and show them colors, lines and textures by observing flowers, leaves, buildings or the sky.Cover a surface with a paper bag and give children Playdough and perhaps they'll make food or other items for games.Give children everyday items they can use to play with such as a bowl and spoon or a towel that can become a rug, a shawl or another make-believe item“Give them the tools in the environment. Children know what to do,” Vetere said. “They have no fear. They love to play.”To find creative activities for children of all ages, go online and visit the national website education.com and explore the “Activities” tab.
