A Child Care Pledge to Inspire Creativity

In the midst of all the politics, proposals and changes, I am remembering a few weeks ago in one London Borough as part of a series of EYFS workshops a group of inspired child care professional exploring their work with children focussing on the Prime area of Physical Development and Creative and Expressive Arts.

"Nothing changes until something moves" - Einstein

 

Through movement, dance, art work, music and song we explored our own creativity and natural capacity for fun, connection and freedom of expression and we discussed how limiting beliefs become installed during childhood. 

 “I cant’sing”

“I cant draw”

“I can’t dance”

“I am no good at sport”

 Learning does not only take place at a cognitive level. There is also learning on the affective, emotional, and visceral level." - Rolando Toro

When early childhood professionals explore their own potential and have fun learning together, they return to their work with young children full of enthusiasm which is infectious. 

We played games, engaged in a magical adventure and moved with flexibility, force, agility, fluidity through space and time, balance, coordination, increasing mobility, muscle tone and strength - personal empowerment and freedom in a unique expression of ourselves. 

"We can sing"

 "We can draw"

 "We can dance"

 "We can .......".

And we are the people that provide the early years environments that help to realise these potentials in young children.   Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up” – Pablo Picasso

 

 

 

Genius is nothing more or less than childhood clearly formulated, newly endowed with virile and powerful means of self-expression.''— Charles Pierre Baudelaire

Both hands together clapping with joy, gazing into your eyes, meeting for a moment in complete connection, such pleasure of human connection –  energy of heart and soul.

 

“Movement is what we are, not something we do” – Emilie Conrad

 

“We sing before we talk, we dance before we walk” –
P. Grendrad

 

 

Lets always remember to have fun with movement and sound, make up stories and take on characters. Laugh and sing nursery rhymes and poetry, children love this and so do adults too.

 

 

Move and shake, jump high and low

Take a friends hand and move very slow

Now in a circle altogether found

Turning around and around and around 

Sitting on the floor now lying down

Crawling on your tummy not making a sound

 

Wriggling along like a snake in the grass

Up on all fours like a dog running fast

Now like a monkey climbing up a tree

And become a bird flying over the sea

Landing on the water

Swimming to the shore

Back to the land where the rain starts to pour

Hiding in the bushes until it stops

Back home for tea now and some lolly pops.
 

“Learning begins from birth, and high quality early education and care has the potential to make an important and positive impact on the learning, development and wellbeing of babies and young children, in their daily lives and the longer term’. Professor Cathy Nutbrown

 

See shaking the foundations of quality a very important read