Learning Through Creativity

The arts are a vital aspect of helping your child learn and grow. Exposing children to dance, music, and drama at home does wonders for their confidence, critical thinking, physical health, and more. Below, we’ve compiled a list of age-appropriate activities to encourage creativity and learning.DanceToddlers: Ants in Your Pants! Help your child explore movements such as hopping, leaping, and wiggling. Create simple sequences your toddler can follow to help expand their short-term memory and provide a fun workout! Preschoolers: The Shoebox DanceEncourage children to pretend they’re in a store with every type of shoe – roller skates, moon boots, or super-speed shoes – and each shoe makes your child dance in a different way. School-Age Students: Human ShapesDevelop problem-solving skills by coming up with shapes to make together. Create a pose and freeze, then have your child come up with a way to add on to your shape with their own body, creating a letter, number, or animal. Visual ArtsToddlers: Finger PaintingFor a twist, cover their “painting” surface with a plastic sheet and paint with vanilla pudding. Add food coloring to different bowls. Your child can explore new textures and learn to mix colors.  Preschoolers: Macaroni MosaicsColor raw pasta with food coloring or watercolors. Let dry, then glue it onto cardboard to create picture frames. This builds fine motor skills and strengthens attention spans. School-Age Students: “Me”-Size Self-PortraitsGet a large piece of craft paper and trace your child’s outline. Then have him or her fill in details, like hair, face, and clothing. Provide a mirror so children can learn to observe details.  DramaToddlers: Go on a JourneyHelp your child relive an experience you shared together by looking through photos and performing actions that were depicted in the trip. Use sensory-rich details to help your child create mental pictures of word meanings. Preschoolers: Play PretendGather up items from around the house and have your child create new ways to use them. School-Age Students: Act Out StoriesHave your child perform the actions of a book while you read it aloud, having them dramatize tricky words like “munch” or “gnash.”  MusicToddlers: EchoPractice call-and-response songs by making up lyrics to familiar tunes and have your child repeat after you. This builds memory and listening skills. Preschoolers: Get the Band TogetherHelp your child make instruments from items you have around the house, then create a song. School-Age Students: Compare and ContrastPlay two songs by different musicians, and ask your child to describe similarities and differences. Provide vocabulary like tempo, pitch, and instrument names. At schools in Polk County, we foster an atmosphere of care and an environment of high expectations and effective discipline. To learn more, contact us online or at 407-246-4800.