This text shows how the natural creative expression and play of children can be channelled to foster the learning and growth of each individual child. The book explores the nature, development and importance of children's play, suggesting many ways in which it may be fostered and encouraged by adults who work with young children. The aim of the book is to help readers design and implement self-expressive activities focusing on the process of creative expression, showing how to nurture that process, rather than providing a ready-made repertoire of activities and materials.

Tap into children's natural curiosity and scaffold their creative abilities across all domains of learning--and nurture your own creativity!

Young Children and the Arts: Nurturing Imagination and Creativity examines the place of the arts in the experiences of young and very young children at home and in out-of-home settings at school and in the community. There is great need for development of resources in the arts specifically designed to introduce babies and toddlers to participatory experiences in the visual arts, dance, music, and storytelling/theater. This book presents valuable guidelines for early childhood teachers, families, caregivers and community organizations. Young Children and the Arts presents a comprehensive approach to the arts that is aligned with early childhood developmentally appropriate practice and that combines an exploratory, materials-based approach with an aesthetic-education approach for children from birth to eight years of age. It addresses both how the arts are foundational to learning, and how teachers and parents can nurture young children’s developing imagination and creativity. The models presented emphasize a participatory approach, introducing young children to the arts through activities that call for engagement, initiative and creative activity. Additionally, Young Children and the Arts addresses the intersection of early childhood education and the arts—at points of convergence, and at moments of tension. The role of families and communities in developing and promoting arts suffused experiences for and with young children are addressed. Young Children and the Arts examines the role of innovative arts policy in supporting a broad-based early arts program across the diverse settings in which young children and their families live, work, and learn.

When young children are engaged in imaginative play, they are not just having fun; they are developing skills and concepts that are foundational to their learning. Teachers can get the most out of this critical development time with thoughtful preparations that allow the children to freely explore their creativity and learn from each other. Using simple props and donated items, the book shows how centers can be transformed into rich and rewarding learning spaces for children. Play Today offers dozens of easy-to-do scenarios that will spark open-ended play explorations. Award Winner! Recipient of the following awards: 2017 Winner of the Teacher's Choice Awards, Professional Development Category 2016 Academic's Choice Smart Book Award 2016 Creative Child Magazine Awards, Book of the Year.

"Based on developmentally appropriate practices, this new edition continues to reflect an art focus, emphasizing child-directed (opposed to teacher-directed) activities and outlining an art studio approach for your classroom. It is full of ideas and activities for all children to enjoy integrating creative experiences in visual art, music, dance, drama, and literature into the early childhood curriculum."--Preface.

This introductory textbook features expert, cutting-edge theory and research on creativity tailored for undergraduate courses.

Coping with life's stresses is difficult for everybody, but can be especially challenging for teenagers, who often feel isolated and misunderstood. Creative expression through art, craft, and writing is a natural and effective way of helping young people to explore and communicate personal identity. This book is bursting with art and journal activities, creative challenges, and miniature projects for bedrooms and other personal spaces, all of which help teenagers to understand and express who they are and what is important to them. These fun ideas can be tailored to suit the individual, and require minimal equipment and even less artistic know-how, so can be enjoyed by all. The book concludes with a useful section for counselors and other professionals who work with young people, which explains how these activities can be incorporated into treatment goals. This imaginative and insightful book is a useful resource for all therapists, social workers, and counselors who wish to encourage self-expression in teenagers.

Early Childhood Curriculum for All Learners: Integrating Play and Literacy Activities is designed to teach early childhood professionals about the latest research on play and early literacy and then to show them practical methods for adapting this research to everyday classroom practices that will encourage the development of learning skills. The authors link solid, play-based research to specific developmentally appropriate practices. By combining these two areas, the text demonstrates that academic learning and play activities are highly compatible, and that children can and do develop academic skills through play. In addition, the text focuses on socio-dramatic play, a recently acknowledged, essential aspect of child-initiated play interactions. It provides specific strategies that link these interactive behaviors with the early academic skills needed for the initial primary grades. Implementation of the information presented in this book will enable children to experience a richer transition into primary education classrooms.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.