school age
There is something truly special about watching a child become completely absorbed in the creative process. A paintbrush in hand, clay between their fingers, colours spread across a page, and suddenly the world around them fades away. In those moments, children are not simply making art; they are making sense of themselves and the world around them.
Before a child can fully explain their thinking in words, they paint it, build it, dance it, and create it.
By Abigail Smulders, head of the Early Learning and Junior Preparatory School at Reddam House Bedfordview
Over the past few years, schools around the world have moved away from structured craft activities designed to produce identical and“ perfect” final products. Instead, educators are embracing openended artistic experiences that allow children the freedom to explore, imagine, experiment, and express themselves authentically.
A child may proudly bring home a painting of a flower, beaming with pride. To an adult, it looks little more than splashes of colour and uneven brushstrokes, but the real value is in the journey that created it. Within that process, children are growing, they are developing fine motor skills, solving problems, exploring their senses, and building confidence in an environment where there is no single right answer.
For many young children, art becomes an emotional language long before spoken language can fully express what they feel. Through creative exploration, children communicate ideas, experiences and emotions while learning to trust their own thinking. They discover that mistakes are not failures but opportunities for new discoveries.
This understanding aligns beautifully with the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which influences the teaching at Reddam and Reddford House, and Loris Malaguzzi’ s concept of The Hundred Languages of Children: the belief that children learn and communicate through countless forms of expression including art, music, movement, storytelling, dramatic play, and imaginative exploration.
When we make space for artistic exploration, we are not just creating artists. We are helping children find their voice before they have the words to speak it. We are nurturing creative thinkers, storytellers, innovators, and emotionally aware human beings. �
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