and linguistic expression afforded through arts activities offers a purposeful pathway for children to connect their learning with their lived experiences( Purnell et al. 2007; Carney et al. 2016).
Adults can facilitate when and how children use play to connect learning with their experiences; specifically, through guided play. During these activities and explorations, children have the agency to interact with each other and with thoughtfully curated materials while working toward specific learning goals( Zosh et al. 2022). When done well, guided play has been shown to support the development of the whole child, including in the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional domains( Zosh et al. 2017; Jensen et al. 2019; Stipek & Johnson 2020; Hall & McCormick 2022).
However, teachers must consider children’ s individuality and contexts( NAEYC 2020) when implementing guided play. Children actively engage with and make sense of material when their cultures, languages, traditions, and communities are valued and reflected in what they are learning( Ladson-Billings 1995a, 1995b, 2014; Gay 2002). This strengths-based approach connects to children’ s lived experiences and supports them in“ sustaining the cultural and linguistic competence of their communities”( Paris 2012, 95).
Mariachi as a Community Connection
Families and communities play a central role in children’ s learning and development. As stressed in NAEYC’ s“ Early Childhood Program Standards” position statement, both early childhood educators and administrators must create welcoming environments where families are respected and encouraged to collaborate in their children’ s educational growth( NAEYC 2025). One way to do this is to plan family-focused, guided play activities that involve the community.
As part of our project, the elementary school we were working with asked us to create a culturally relevant arts activity that families and children could participate in during monthly family engagement meetings. Partnering with the school’ s family liaison, Ms. Hernández, we worked to re-envision these meetings as cafecitos, or community-bonding experiences rooted in culture and mutual understanding. Cafecitos are used in the Latinx community as a time to drink coffee, socialize, engage in conversation, learn from one another, and build connections.
We decided to use one of the cafecitos to build art, storytelling, and music activities around mariachi. Every year, San Antonio hosts the Mariachi Extravaganza, a 30-year-old music festival that celebrates the culture and history of Latin music. Mariachi bands from the United States and Mexico participate in a three-day competition that showcases their talents. The extravaganza also features performances by professional mariachi solo artists and award-winning bands. The school we worked with invited Jonathan Palomar, a renowned professional mariachi performer and one of the extravaganza’ s headliners, to visit and teach children about mariachi music. The entire school campus gathered together and sang along as he performed“ Cielito Lindo,” a symbol of
32 Young Children
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