The Arts in Children's Lives

Advocates for the arts have contributed significantly to the philosophy and practice of early and elementary education throughout its history. Yet the nature, value, and purpose of arts experiences in the lives of children seem to remain puzzling and problematic to those most directly involved in teaching the young. Conversations between scholars and teacher educators in the arts and in education occur all too infrequently. Seventeen authors, whose work represents the best of contemporary research and theory on a constellation of issues concerning the role of the arts in children's lives and learning, address critical issues of development, context, and curriculum from perspectives informed by work with children in formal and informal settings. This anthology strives to reinvigorate dialogue on the role and significance of the arts in the education of children drawing on various cultural and institutional context and traditional and contemporary practices from different parts of the world.

This book is intended for beginning and experienced early childhood educators enrolled in a course in the arts for early childhood. The purpose of this book is to unify the arts into a holistic concept of aesthetic education for young children (from birth through age eight). Its aims are: to convince teachers that the arts are for everyone--and essential to the daily curriculum; to show teachers how the arts build children's interest, motivation, and learning in all subject areas; to demonstrate how teachers can draw on a wide array of arts resources to enrich their curriculum; and to address the developmental appropriateness of arts activities and show how they support the goals of multicultural education.