Teaching and Learning with Art: Activities for Early Childhood Development

This report presents six art-based activities for early childhood development that enhance cognitive, motor, and social skills. The activities are designed for children aged 5-6 years and are based on the principles of play-based learning and the zone of proximal development. The report includes a planning table, learning intentions, resources, and strategies for each activity.

Running head:TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Introduction:
The term early childhood is the stage of human life which is considered as the most
important stage of human development. This phase includes the toddlerhood and few more years
after the toddler hood (Victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au. 2018). In psychology, early
childhood is the term that is defined as the time period from birth until the age of eight years.
The infancy, kindergarten, and the early childhood are of major importance and considered
development stage. The report aims to develop six activities that are aimed to develop children’s
skills from the age group of 5-6 years of age.
Rational:
The theme of Lev Vygotsky’s theoretical framework, the development of cognition is
highly impacted by the social interaction. The according to Vygotsky in the cultural development
of children, every function appears twice. Firstly, it occurs on the social level and secondly it
appears on individual level. Therefore, it is important to incorporate social interaction in the
early years of a child’s development. Vygotsky also represents the idea that the cognitive
development’s potential is depended on the “zone of proximal development”(Wass and Golding
2014). Therefore, it is possible to improve that particular area with the help of art.
From the previous assignment, it is found that children are involved in creative art and
evolve with ways of self-expression. According to Early Years Learning Framework, play-based
learning activities help children learn to organize and develop their senses regarding their world
around them (Education.gov.au 2018). Therefore, through the help of these activities teachers
should be able to build confidence in children. Also, according to Victorian Early Years

2TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Learning and development Framework, every child should be acknowledged with identity,
culture and spirit. Therefore, both Early Years Learning Framework and Victorian Early Years
Learning and development Framework provide teaching approaches led by adults while focusing
on children. Creative teaching methods with the help of art are the focus of the report and
keeping the learning outcome in mind the six activities are designed accordingly.The early
childhood is the phase when child learns the three ‘B’. Child develops the sense of Belonging,
Being and Becomingduring the early yearssince birth (Hitch, Pépin and Stagnitti 2014). Art has
always been a way of expression, children too are found exploring, learning and expressing
through art. Therefore incorporating art with activities will develop the zone of proximal
development. Keeping the mentioned requirements as the priority the six activities have been
planned (Education.vic.gov.au. (2018).

3TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Overview planning table
Planning of the activities : searching for the appropriate
learning activities
Conduction of the activities within a
duration of 30 minutes
Brainstorming through thevideoclips for
understanding the steps of the activities
Experience 1:Indoor gathering
circle.Discussing about the different
activities
Reflecting on the activities
Arranging for the necessary equipments to carry out the
activities.
Allocating the activities to each group of students
Documenting the steps and learning outcome

4TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
A short introduction of the 3 activities
Sensory play has significant role to play in child’s development. Children in some way be
able to rattle when they are asked about senses to them. To make them aware of the sense,
sensory play in incorporated. It is not only children with difficulty who can benefit from sensory
play but also children who are physically and mentally stable. Sensory play is an exploration of
sense in the child’s own way of examining, discovering, categorizing and making sense of the
world.Sensory play is an extremely effective play for toddlers and young children. Sensory play
involves different forms of textures, tastes, and objects that help build new ways of talking about
the world. There can be different types of sensory play such as exploring the sounds the objects,
experimenting with mixing elements together, feeling the texture of different materials or pulling
thingsapart.From the time of their birth till the age of six children’s brain develops and it is the
stage that help in their cognitive development most. Through cognitive play, children are helped
to develop their cognitive skills. Children learn through movement when they participate in
physical activity. The physical activity performed in different setting helps them explore basic
play equipment. They develop balance, and physical identification.

5TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Sensory play
Activity 1
Art type Visual art
Title of the activity Playing with dough
Age Level 5-6
Explore and express
ideas
This will increase the
creativity skills of the
child and will help in
the kinesthetic learning.
Arts practice
This will help the child
to expeiments with new
structures
Present and perform
Child will develop
skills of coordination as
to which color is
compatible or what are
the probable structures
that can be made
Respond and
interpret
A child starts
responding and
interpreting to a figure
built with the real life
substances.
Art learning intentions: Enhances fine motor skill, Improves pre-writing skills, Creativity and
imagination, Calming effect, Develops hand – eye coordination, Social skills, Increases curiosity and

6TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
knowledge, Develop cognitive skills.
RESOURCES & MATERIALS
1. Video
2. Internet resources
Refer this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJQ2CaA7E50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emz7wls3mjU
Materials:
 Colored clay, Textured Rolling
Pins.
 Dough Extruders.
 Plastic Dough Scissors.
 Dough Tools.
 Cookie Cutters.
 Alphabet Dough Stampers
Resources
 Video has helped to understand the
step by step process of rolling or
mixing the dough and to know about
the requirements of the dough.
Pressing and giving shapes requires
efforts that can be learnt effectively
by pausing the video at every step.
 Internet resources can provided with
pictures of various toys as models
that can be followed for the
activities. It also contains a detailed
information regarding the things

7TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
required for making a dough.
STRATEGY: (Teacher’s role)
 Once the children’s play begins, facilitating social interactions.
 The teachers will be assisting children in joining play is a role the teacher.
 Teachers should also individualize for children by keeping in mind each child’s current
level of cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and language development.
 I will organize the students by segregating them into groups
 I will roam around the room observing each and every students and their activities.
 I will allow them five minutes for wrapping up the solution.
Questions:
 Have you understood the task?
 Are you enjoying?
 Would you like to try this at your home?
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION QUESTION: we will ensure the children and make sure of the
learning outcomes by taking feedbacks from them.
MODIFICATIONS:For more able learners teachers would encourage to make more complex
structures. .
REFERENCES:Jakob, A. and Collier, L., 2014. How to make a sensory room for people living with
dementia: a guide book.
Learning experiences:
Play dough is a fun way for children to learn as it is great for all multi-sensory early development play.
It helps in developing fine motor skills. It is a calming activity that encourages creative thinking and
leads them to imagination. Also, dough activities are great for hand-eye coordination.

8TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
In this activity children will put their hand inside a bag and try to feel it. The children will be asked
about its shape, structure and finally encourage them to make it through the dough.
Fine motor skills
Activity 2
Art type Visual art
Title of the activity Fine drawing
Age Level 5-6
Explore and express
ideas
Express ideas about the
drawing
Arts practice
The art skills of the
children will increase
Present and perform
The child will be able
to display a completed
drawing .
Respond and
interpret
Child will be able to
understand the meaning
of the drawing.
Learning intentions: enhance motor skills, hand-eye coordination, improves finger muscles,
Improves imagination and thinking skills
RESOURCES & MATERIALS Materials: Drawing tools such as pencil,

9TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Refer this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNsYYAWiDPc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-eRAxCXX3w
eraser, drawing paper, color pencils
Resources
Color books: there are various kinds of
color books that are available in the market
that provides with the step by step
techniques gto draw figures and sketches. It
helps a child to connect to the inner artist
and explore their talent.
Story books :Pictures in the story books
are colorful and vibrant and helps the child
to enhance their creative skills by following
the drawings.
STRATEGY: (Teacher’s role)
 Befor e the starting of the play , the teacher will show a video followed by a live
demonstration of the art.
 The children are classified in to groups for avoiding chaos.
 All the equipments should be handed to them as per the allotted tasks.
 Teachers should also individualize for children by keeping in mind each child’s current
level of cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and language development.
 Would closely monitor each of the groups
Questions:
 Do you like to draw?
 What is this that you have drawn?

10TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
 Are you enjoying?
 Are you going to practice this at home?
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION QUESTION: Questions should be asked whether they have
understood about the task or whether they can accurately copy the drawing in their copy.
MODIFICATIONS: students with greater ability are encouraged to make more complex figures.
REFERENCES: Sampson, R.J., 2017. Family management and child development: Insights from
social disorganization theory. In Facts, frameworks, and forecasts (pp. 63-94). Routledge.
Learning experiences
Drawing is a simple form of art which is often the first form of children’s artistic expression. Children
go through developmental stages in art. Drawing helps them explore their inner creativity. Once
children learn little way of representation they are encouraged in making more art.
This particular activity is to develop their understanding about the family and friends. This will be a
fun activity since it involves their favorite persons. The activity will begin by asking the child to create
a family portrait which can be provided by giving them a family picture. The family picture will give
the child a visual representation of what the children has to do.

11TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Gross motor skills
Activity 3
Art type Visual art
Title of the activity Construction activity
Age Level (5-6)
Explore and express
ideas
Child will be able to
explore new ideas apart
from what is given in
the manual
Arts practice
It will increase the
creativity such as the
color combination of
the blocks or the type
of building that has to
be constructed.
Present and perform
A child will be able to
display a completed
constrauction work.
Respond and
interpret
A child will be able to
understand the
importance of the
construction play.
Learning intentions:Construction activities for the children helps in the whole body movement
involving the large muscles of the body to perform the functions like walking, standing, sitting upright

12TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
and running.
RESOURCES & MATERIALS
Refer this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xC5FoSde50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xC5FoSde50
Materials:
Construction blocks, screws
Resouorces:
Youtube videos- The videos show the step
by step construction of the house or a toy, the
arrangements of the different blocks and
fitting of the screws and the nuts.
In the video one can see the how a sketch can
be made incase there is no manual.
Information manual- The information
manuals provided in the toy kits often
contains step by step informations regarding
how to construct the buildings or toys.
Arranging the blocks one by one as given in
the manual can help the child to construct
something without the help of any assistance.
STRATEGY: (Teacher’s role)
 The teacher will gather all the equipmets.
 Divide the children in to groups
 Each group will be allowed to buid a model based upon an instruction sheet given to each
of the groups .
 Models will be simple and easy to do.
 All the groups will be monitored closely

13TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Questions:
 What is this you are making?
 Are you enjoying?
 Let’s see which group is going to finish first?
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION QUESTION: students will be able to identify what they have made
and the purpose of the task. Feedback should be taken.
MODIFICATIONS: Talented students will be encouraged to make more innovative and complex
structures on their own.
REFERENCES: Freeman, G.G., 2014. The implementation of character education and children’s
literature to teach bullying characteristics and prevention strategies to preschool children: An action
research project. Early childhood education journal, 42(5), pp.305-316.
Learning experiences
The construction activities helps to solve problems, connect, understand, solve problems and be
inquisitive in their play. In this activity students are provided with building blocks where they are
required to be arranged in the form of a particular building or a toy. In some cases children can follow
their own that can increase their creativity and imagination.

14TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Conclusion:
Early years of children’s life are the most important years since they develop their
cognitive, physical and emotional parts. Playing is the only way in the early years when children
learn most regarding its surrounding or the world around it. Learning through art is not an
innovative idea since it has been used before and for many years due to its benefits. Considering
the impact of art on children, the six activities have been designed. The three major focuses are
the sensory play, cognitive and gross motor. In the end of the paper, it can be concluded that the
six activities have been designed keeping the development methods of children. Therefore, these
programs will become the interesting ways for children to learn, explore and know the world in
their way however with the help of the educator.

15TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Reference:
Education.gov.au. (2018). Early Years Learning Framework. [online] Available at:
https://www.education.gov.au/early-years-learning-framework-0 [Accessed 1 Oct. 2018].
Education.vic.gov.au. (2018). Learning frameworks birth to eight years. [online] Available at:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/professionals/learning/Pages/veyldf.aspx [Accessed
1 Oct. 2018].
Hitch, D., Pépin, G. and Stagnitti, K., 2014. In the footsteps of Wilcock, part two: The
interdependent nature of doing, being, becoming, and belonging. Occupational therapy in health
care, 28(3), pp.247-263.
Victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au. (2018). Home - Victorian Curriculum. [online] Available
at: http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2018].
Wass, R. and Golding, C., 2014. Sharpening a tool for teaching: the zone of proximal
development. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(6), pp.671-684.

16TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
APPENDIX
Activity 4:
Art type Visual art
Title of the activity Color mixing
Age Level 5-6
Explore and express
ideas
I helps the chid to know
how the secondary
colors are formed.
Arts practice
Enhances skills to
produce more
secondary colors and
use them in the
Present and perform
Child can present a
diagram generated by
the secondary and the
tertiary colors.
Respond and
interpret
Children will be balr to
identify the secondary
colors in real life

17TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
drawing. substances.
Art Learning intentions: develop fine motor skills
 It helps to enhance the skills of STEM learning and helps to learn the color
combinations.
RESOURCES & MATERIALS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz8NeL38s6Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz8NeL38s6Y
Materials:
Salt, colored dye, mixing pallatte.
Resources:
You tube video- It helps to understand how
the salts are color died and are then mixed to
get the desired color.
Digital picture used as resource shows
pictures of children mixing colored salts
generating new colors.
STRATEGY: (Teacher’s role)
 Different colored salts should be taken.
 Eacd of the colors should be distributed with the students in a white palate.
 Then they will be encouraged to spray water
 Each shildren will be monitored closely.
Questions:
 What colors have you mixed?
 Can you name them?
 Are you enjoying?
 Are you going to do the same during painting?

18TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION QUESTION: Students will be asked about the names of the mixing
colors and the secondary colors produced after mixing.
Feedback should be taken from the studenta about these can be used in painting.
MODIFICATIONS: Teachers will encourage the students to memorise the different secondary colors
that are obtained by mixing the primary colors.
REFERENCES: Neumann, M.M. and Neumann, D.L., 2014. Touch screen tablets and emergent
literacy. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(4), pp.231-239.
Activity 5

19TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Art type Visual art
Title of the activity Playing with sand
Age Level (5-6)
Explore and express
ideas
Express ideas regarding
the type of building that
has to be built
Arts practice
Will develop the skills
of sand art and the
creativity skills
Present and perform
Will be able to create
and display the artwork
Respond and
interpret
Will be able to respons
to the strcutures made
or will be able to
understand the
structures made by his/
her peers.
ART learning intention:
 Children will learn to play will sand, developing concepts. It will improve their literacy
skills, Learning curiosity, confidence
RESOURCES & MATERIALS
Refer the video for Games and Activities. Sand
play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7-
v4lDLZ8g
Materials:
Plastic containers and buckets.
Sand, toys, sticks, leaves, rocks, gumnuts, shells
and flowers.
Resources:
Youtube videos- This will help in understanding
the exact tools require and the process of
preparing sand castles and buildigs.
Story books- children story books often contains

20TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
pictures of sand castles that can be used to draw
interest of the children.
STRATEGY (Teacher’s role)
 Students will be provided with tubs of sand and then they will be encouraged to make
interesting structures using stones, pebbles, sticks and twigs.
 Students migh be provided with a demonstration before the task.
 Each group should be closely monitored.
Question:
 What structure are you making?
 Do you enjoy playing with it?
 Make this bridge more proper. Can use add some more sand around the it to make the
well?
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION QUESTION: we will ensure the children and make sure of the
learning outcomes. Questions should be asked to obtain their feedbacks.
MODIFICATIONS: students with more talents should be encouraged to maker more complex
structures.
REFERENCES: Woolley, H. and Lowe, A., 2013. Exploring the relationship between design approach
and play value of outdoor play spaces. Landscape Research, 38(1), pp.53-74.

21TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
Activity 6
Art type Visual art
Title of the activity Water play
Age Level (5-6)
Explore and express
ideas
The child will develop
skills of reasoning due
to simple activities like
floatation.
Arts practice
Understands the
benefits of messy play
Present and perform
Enances skills of
sharing and
communication
Respond and
interpret
Can understand many
phenomenons arising
during the water
activities
Learning intentions: Water play activities will help the children in the development of eyes and hand
coordination, Water play activities will help in physical skills. Simple activities like floating and
sinking helps in developing problem solving skills,Learning curiosity, Hand-eye coordination and

22TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
social skills.
RESOURCES & MATERIALS
Refer the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-SKyJ6YIv8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZajVC4NLWiQ
Materials:
Water, toys, bucket containing water.
Resources:
Digital images : Colorful digital images
can be downloaded and can be used for
planning the activities.
Video clip: The video helps to understand
the different kinds of water play that can
enhance children’s sensory development.
STRATEGY: (Teacher’s role)
 A trough full of water should be provided along with the toys and then they are made to
float.
 Close monitoring should be done such that no body gets drenched or fall
 10 minutes will be provided before wrapping up the play.
Questions:
 Why do you think, this is floating?
 Can you tell which one is heavier?
 Are you enjoying the play?
 Would you like to do that again?
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION QUESTION: Questions regarding eack of the sinking and floating
phenomenon could be asked and then the teacher can explain them the reasons for eachof the
phenomenon.

23TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ART
MODIFICATIONS: No such modifications are required.
REFERENCES: Thompson, S.D. and Raisor, J.M., 2013. Meeting the sensory needs of young
children. YC Young Children, 68(2), p.34.