Art - Process over product
We believe in allowing children time and space to be creative in their learning and play. We do not enforce our ideas or ideals on them.
As adults it is easy to lose sight of ‘why’ we are providing the experiences we are for our children. Who is it REALLY for? We are conditioned to plan, look forward; getting caught up in the end product or end goal. If this is applied when caring for young children it will ultimately restrict the critical thinking and creativity of our children. At Poppins we remind ourselves daily that it is on the journey that we learn and grow, not at the destination.
We see lots of childcare settings getting sucked into the ‘conveyor belt’ process of producing pre-determined pieces of art work for loved ones without stopping to question what the children gain from this experience? That is not to say we don’t provide opportunities for our children to create special items for their loved ones, quite the opposite, we give our children freedom of choice and build confidence to allow them to create unique pieces that showcase their personality and preferences. As well as giving the children pride it shows that we respect our children and their own ideas and learning needs.
Children are so much better than grown ups at living in the moment, naturally taking each opportunity for what it is rather than what it could be. Let’s support them in keeping the magic of living in the moment by giving them liberating freedom in their play!
WHAT ART LOOKS LIKE AT POPPINS
