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Three "Rs" for the NinetiesChildren + Parents + Arts |
CreditsSourceThe National Endowment for the ArtsContentsIntroductionDance and Your Child Benefits of Dance For Children Dance for Young Children Where to Find Dance Instructors Selecting a Dance Program From Words to Stories Your Child and the Visual Arts The Theater and Children ForumsRaising our KidsRelated ArticlesNew Teaching Tools Make Drama Activities Accessible To Participants With Disabilities |
IntroductionThree "Rs" for the Nineties: Children + Parent + ArtsThese brochures are designed to show parents a host of practical ways to introduce their children -- both in school and at home -- to creative writing theater, music, dance and visual art.Educators tell us that these activities help children learn about the world and about themselves. Furthermore, learning a favorite skill or subject is the principal way that many children actually learn to read, write, reason and cipher. Both culture and childhood deserve every adult American's attention and cooperative concern. This collection of brochures itself is the product of cooperation -- by five private organizations* that drafted the brochure texts and the National Endowment for the Arts. We are all indebted to the Hallmark Corporate Foundation whose generous support made the project possible and allowed us to help America's children experience the wonder and wit and wisdom of the arts. * American Alliance for Theater and Education, Music Educators National Conference, National Art Education Association, National Dance Association, Teachers and Writers Collaborative.John E. Frohnmayer Chairman National Endowment for the Arts Back to the Table of Contents Dance and Your ChildDance is essential to general education for boys and girls. Dance education beginning in early childhood and continuing throughout life benefits the body, mind and spirit."The Arts -- and dance in particular -- transmit culture, teach skills and fulfill the human spirit. There is perhaps no better description of education than this."Back to the Table of Contents Benefits of Dance for ChildrenDance education has many benefits:
Although dance can be great exercise, it is primarily an art form and an esthetic expression of mind and body. Dance as an art form has three dimensions:
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Dance for Young ChildrenFor young children, dance offers avenues for exploration, discovery and the development of natural instincts for movement. Dance activities offer many benefits for children, encouraging mental and emotional development as well as obviously enhancing motor skills. Dancing gives the young child a chance to experience and understand both personal and social perspectives in a stimulating situation. Dancing offers opportunities to express thoughts and feelings and to understand other's thoughts and feelings. The dynamic balance of dance's physical, mental and emotional aspects should be present in dance education, regardless of whether the child plans to pursue a career in dance. As in other arts disciplines, professional preparation in dance demands years of rigorous education, training and practice. What you can do to get your child started in dance As a parent, you can offer your child early exposure to the an of dance and movement through many activities:
Where to Find Dance InstructorsEducators and teacher organizations increasingly recognize creative movement as integral to children's development, and there are a number of exemplary dance education programs in elementary schools. But unfortunately, well-balanced dance programs are not found consistently in our schools today. As a parent you can do two things to ensure good dance education for your child. First, look into the situation in your school and school district. Find what importance is given to dance and advocate making it a high priority. Second, look into private instruction in studios, community centers, parks and recreation programs, summer camps and other enterprises such as YWCAs. In both cases, assure yourself that a dance program is appropriate for your child's physical and social development and that it is educationally sound. The following information may help you review the dance instruction in your local school, private studio or other setting. Evaluating Teachers and Classes Ask the following questions about the teacher(s) who might instruct your child. In an ideal situation all the answers will be yes:
Ages 3-5 7-15 students 30-45 minutes
Ages 6-8 20 students 45-60 minutes
Ages 9-12 25 students 60-90 minutes
Back to the Table of ContentsSelecting a Dance ProgramFacilitiesA good place for dance classes offers the following:
For more information, you may want to consult the following books: Jacob, Ellen. (1981). Dancing: A Guide to the Dancer You Can Be. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. Loren, Teri. (1978). Dancer's Companion. New York: The Dial Press. These pamphlets may be purchased from the National Dance Association:
The National Dance Association represents practitioners of every aspect of dance and dance education in the United States and abroad. Through publications, symposia, workshops and resource papers, NDA promotes quality dance and dance education for all levels, populations, ages and cultures. National Dance Association 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091-1502 Tel: 703/476-3436 Fax: 703/476-9527 [Graphic Omitted] The National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency, was founded by Congress in 1965 to foster excellence in the arts throughout the United States, to help broaden the public's understanding of the arts and provide broader access to the nation's rich cultural resources. NEA's Arts in Education Program focuses on increasing and improving arts programs in the nation's schools. For more information write: Arts in Education, National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20506 Back to the Table of Contents From Words to Stories"Letters are little people with tiny brains, thinking of what sound to make next. Some rebel and remain silent, changing the way we say things, and the meaning too"Helping A Child Enjoy Imaginative Writing All young children love to play with words. They love to make jokes and puns, sing songs, invent names and listen to and tell stories. It is a short step from loving such language play to loving writing. You can help your child make that short but important step:
Your family's attitudes and habits can make learning to write natural and fun for your child rather than hard and frustrating. You can lay a firm foundation for future writing by reading and telling stories to your child: by letting your child know that you, too, enjoy and learn from books; by respecting your child's curiosity and imagination. Reading and listening to stories help make writing easier. Children who read or hear stories regularly develop a natural understanding of how sentences, ideas and narratives work, and so have a much easier time later when these skills are "taught" to them in school. Reading can also make your child more eager to write. Just as young sports fans long to go out onto the playing fields, so children who love reading want to make up their own stories and poems. Here are three ways to prepare your child for writing:
Writing with children helps them learn to organize their ideas and stories and to think of themselves as authors. Here are a few ways to have fun "writing" with children who can't yet write on their own. "Tell me a story." Ask your child to tell you a story. Write it down as it is told. Don't worry if you are a slow writer. While waiting for you to finish copying a line, your child will be thinking about what happens next in the story. If your child loses track of the story, you can help by reading it back and by asking questions like: "So then what happened?" or "What about the bad pirate?" Be careful not to "steal" the story by making too many suggestions. Children might take your contributions as criticisms, and end up feeling as if they've failed. The team story. This is a good party game. Ask your child and some friends to form a circle and take turns making up one big story together. If the children are shy, you can start it off. Keep going until everyone has had a turn or the story feels finished, then read it back with gusto. You'll be surprised by how much fun this is. Playtime. Young children spend much of their free time pretending they are other people -- superheroes, princesses, astronauts. Creating a play is a natural literary form for children. Have your child (perhaps with some friends) dictate a play or story to you. When it is finished, the children can act it out. Let them change the play as they act it out, if they wish. "Publication." Just like adult authors, children write to entertain themselves, but they also like to have other people appreciate their work. There are many ways to "publish" your children's writing. You can put it up on a bulletin board or the refrigerator. You can type it, read it aloud, or photocopy it and give it to family, friends and teachers. You can also make a child's writing into little books (with illustrations by the author) and keep them on a special shelf. It is perfectly all right to take dictation from your child even after they can write on their own. As long as children enjoy the experience, it is good for the development of their writing. Encouraging Children To Write On Their Own Writing for School Much of your child's writing will be done at school. One way to help your child enjoy school writing is to take an interest in it. Give special praise for those compositions based on imaginative assignments -- stories, poems, etc. because these are the sort your child is most likely to want to try doing independently. If a child enjoys writing in school, provide the time and space at home to continue writing and encourage imaginative experiments. If your child is bored by school. Writing assignments, try to find ways of making them more interesting. Say the assignment is to answer the question "What is love?" One way of answering is to be wacky: "Love is a school bus full of rutabagas." Another is to be honest: "I don't know what love is. Sometimes I hate the people I am supposed to love...." Remember, many teachers like surprising responses. Writing at Home Many children begin writing on their own at home simply because it is fun. For some this is a natural outgrowth of writing with their parents. Other children need encouragement. The first thing you should do to encourage your child to write at home is provide the basics that all writers need, young or old:
Don't be pushy. Encouraging your child to write is a delicate matter. Many children react to pressure by becoming afraid of failure. Many children don't want to write because they're afraid of making spelling mistakes. Tell children that when they, write the poems and stories for themselves, they don't have to spell every thing right. Only when children are ready, to revise or publish their writing do they need to go over spelling, punctuation, etc. School homework is a required activity for children, but writing poems and stories at home ought to be voluntary -- suggested only as a way of having fun. Children will write a lot if they enjoy it. Having Fun With Writing If your children already like to write at home, it is probably best not to meddle. Children will enjoy writing more if they feel that it is really their own. But if they ask for help, or you see that they are running out of inspiration, here are a few ideas you could try:
Your response to your children's writing is all-important. If you are proud of what they have written at home or at school, they will also be proud and will want to do more. If you are indifferent or too critical, they will find writing much more difficult.
Teachers and Writers Collaborative was founded by a group of writers and educators in 1967 to send writers into schools and to publish and distribute materials about teaching writing. T and W writers work with children and teachers, giving them an understanding and appreciation of literary traditions and a sense of the methods and motives of writers. T and W houses the Center for Imaginative Writing, a resource library and meeting place. For more information write: Teachers and Writers Collaborative 5 Union Square West, New York, New York 10003 Stephen O'Connor and William Bryant Logan developed this brochure. [Graphic Omitted] The National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency, was founded by Congress in 1965 to foster excellence in the arts throughout the United States, to help broaden the public's understanding of the arts and provide broader access to the nation's rich cultural resources. NEA's Arts in Education Program focuses on increasing and improving arts programs in the nation's schools. For more information write: Arts in Education, National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20506 Back to the Table of Contents Your Child and the Visual ArtsThe visual arts interpret and reflect life. Through studying art, children gain valuable insights about the world along with knowledge and skills they can use throughout their lives.The Scope of Learning The Scope of Learning Art education -- appreciation courses, hands-on art classes, museum visits and parent-assisted activities -- helps children develop their own creative skills and understand the artistic work of others. By encouraging visual arts education, you will help your children to:
You, Your Child and the Visual Arts Here are activities you can use to introduce your child to the world of art. Remember that your own attitudes make strong impressions on your child. A sense of openness to the visual arts of diverse cultures, along with a willingness to ask questions about art, are as important for you as for the child. At Home and About Town "Seeing" versus looking is something you can encourage every day. Teach your child to see colors, shapes and textures in the world at large. Help your child recognize and understand the signs and symbols that abound in our lives. Make a game out of identifying elements of art as you ride in the car or take family walks. You will discover art all around: in local architecture, monuments, billboards, a park's design, the patterns of streets and signs as well as in traditional arts and crafts. Encourage your child to react to visual stimuli -- colors, shapes, sizes, textures and materials -- found in art dealing with a wide range of situations and subjects. Some will be more engaging than others. Children generally prefer bright colors, realism and familiar subject matter. To help get children involved:
At the Museum, Gallery or Arts Center Planned in advance, a visit to a local art center, gallery or museum can be rewarding, exciting and stimulating for both parent and child. Your state arts agency or local council can provide information about art exhibitions -- where they are, and what there is to see. Ask about programs designed for children and about parent-and-child events. Take time to plan your visit so that it meets your child's physical and learning needs. Identify in advance the exhibit areas and an works you wish to see. Learn where benches, restrooms and cafeterias are located. Don't overwhelm or tire children by overdoing it. If you are visiting a large museum, stay in two or three galleries, depending on the child's age and abilities. A number of short visits are better than a long one that is overwhelming. By listening carefully to your child before planning a trip, you will learn what things he or she is most interested in seeing. Remember to meet a child's physical need for movement and change while engaged in "seeing and appreciating." If a child expresses interest in a work of art you did not select, spend time with it. Children may get frustrated at having to view art selected for them, rather than what they choose for themselves. Making Art Trips Fun Younger children have both a shorter attention span and lower level of retention. For the very young, pictures and drawings in books can spark interest in the visual arts and you can build from there. It is a good idea to have children view works of art on several occasions. They will remember some vividly, while a second visit and talking about the works will reinforce first impressions. Also, it is good to encourage children to respond to pictures, sculptures and crafts in their own way. Resist the urge to tell them what they should see, feel or think. After a first experience, you can discuss the art, listening to the child's interpretation. Then share information you have about the work, the artist who made it, and how it was achieved. The facts you want to share should be appealing and easy to understand. A Word of Warning: At the first sign of boredom, fatigue or disinterest, take a rest or quit for the day! More suggestions for making the arts enjoyable:
To get professional arts training for your child, check with your school's art teacher, or with your local or state arts agency for the names of qualified instructors and schools. Additional Reading For more information about how to offer your child learning opportunities in art, consult the following pamphlets and books: Purposes, Principles, and Standards for School Art programs. National Art Education Association, 19 16 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. Beyond Creating: The Place for An in America's Schools. J. Paul Getty Center for Education in the Arts, 401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 950, Santa Monica, CA 90401 The Role of Imagery in Learning by Harry S. Broudy. Getty Center for Education in the Arts. An Education and Human Development by Howard Gardner. Getty Center for Education in the Arts. Looking at Paintings by Susan Woodford, Cambridge University Press, 1983. Art Appreciation for the Popsicle Generation by Lauann Brown, Good Apple, Inc. 1948. Children and Their Art by Charles D. Gaitskill and Al Hurwitz, Harcourt Brace Javanovich, 1982. Emphasis Art: A Qualitative Art Program for Elementary and Middle Schools by Frank Wachowiak, Harper and Row, 1985. Creative and Mental Growth by Victor Lowenfeld and W. Lambert Brittain, Macmillan, 1987. [Graphic Omitted] The National Art Education Association, founded in 1947, is the largest professional art education association in the world. Members include elementary and secondary teacher's, artists, administrators, museum educators, art council staff members and university professors throughout the United States and 66 foreign countries. NAEA's mission is to advance art education through professional development, service, advancement of knowledge and leadership. For information write: NAEA, 1916 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091 [Graphic Omitted] The National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency, was rounded by Congress in 1965 to foster excellence in the arts throughout the United States, to help broaden the public's understanding of the arts and provide broader access to the nation's rich cultural resources. NEA's Arts in Education Program focuses on increasing and improving arts programs in the nation's schools. For more information write: National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C. 20506 Music and Your Child's Education Why should your child study music? From elementary school onwards, music study, helps children acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes that influence them throughout their lives. In addition to learning music for its own sake, children who participate in music learn coordination, goalsetting, concentration and cooperation. The music in my heart I bore, long after it was heard no more.What You Can Do As a parent, you can encourage your child's love of music and nurture his or her musical talents in a number of ways: By listening to good music programs and recordings together, by attending musical events and making music as a family, by praising children for their musical activities and accomplishments. As a result of music-listening and music-making experiences, elementary school children can become better listeners and develop musical intelligence. They also develop pride and a sense of accomplishment as young musicians. Suggested Activities Listening to music, moving to music and playing musical games are best for small children and good for elementary students as well. By ages five to eight, many children are ready for one-on-one music lessons. You can help your child choose an instrument by consulting the school music teacher and by noticing what sounds your child most enjoys while listening to music. If you decide to supplement lessons offered at the school with private lessons, you can find a good teacher by asking the school music teacher or the music faculty at a local university for recommendations. Group classes are particularly supportive for young children. In the early stages, a parent should be in the room with the child during at-home practice periods to offer encouragement and praise and to request specific songs ("That was really good! Would you play it again for me?") It is impossible to give any child too much encouragement. Success at music-making bolsters self-esteem. When To Start
What Should Your Child Learn? What to Look For in Elementary School
Students in grades four through six should build on the skills they developed earlier. By the end of grade six, they should be able to participate in music activities by singing and playing instruments. They should enjoy listening to most types of music, and be able to describe musical works and discuss their personal responses to them. How You Can Help Your Child At every age, your child should have regular opportunities to:
The following publications provide more detailed information. Growing Up Complete: The Imperative for Music Education. Report of the National Commission on Music Education, 1991. $7.95 Action Kit for Music Education. This includes two books including Building Support for School Music, two videotapes; and four brochures to help conduct a local advocacy campaign. 1991. $37.50. The School Music Program: Description and Standards. Guidelines for music curricula, K to 12. $10.50. Music in Today's Schools: Rationale and Commentary. A concise explanation of why music is important in every child's education. $4.00. Guidelines for Performances of School Music Groups: Expectations and Limitations. $7.50. These publications are available from: Music Educators National Conference 1902 Association Drive Reston, Virginia 22091 [Graphic Omitted] The Music Educators National Conference (MENC) is the only national association that addresses all aspects of music education: band, chorus, orchestra, general music, teacher education and research. More than 60,000 members represent all levels of teaching from pre-kindergarten to postdoctoral levels. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced and comprehensive school music program. [Graphic Omitted] The National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency, was founded by Congress in 1965 to foster excellence in the arts throughout the United States, to help broaden the public's understanding of the arts and provide broader access to the nation's rich cultural resources. NEA's Arts in Education Program focuses on increasing and improving arts programs in the nation's schools. For more information write: Arts in Education, National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20506 Back to the Table of Contents The Theater and ChildrenChildren of all ages love to pretend, to enter worlds of the imagination. As toddlers, they mimic things they see in everyday life. By elementary school age, they act out stories, creating original plots or adapting fairy tales and real-life events. By middle school they're ready for more formal play-acting: going on stage to present prepared scripts, whether scenes from the classics or their own inventions. In other words, each stage of childhood has its own forms of drama, and all these forms help children grow and learn."Dramatic Play" and "Creative Drama" Children enter the world of make-believe first as toddlers when they discover the soul of theater by engaging in activities they see around them and by putting themselves in the places of others. This activity involves mind, body and imagination. It is dramatic play, what one educator calls "rehearsal for life." An extension of ordinary play, creative play--the root of theater--is essential to a child's full development. As children grow older, their play develops structure. They act out favorite stories, create original situations from life experiences, and imagine themselves in fantasy worlds where anything is possible. If they are encouraged in this kind of play at home, they become ready for creative drama by the time they enter primary school. As essential as dramatic play is to a child's healthy development, creative drama is an art form, a socializing activity and a means of learning. At this point, guidance by an experienced teacher or leader is needed, someone to guide the drama, to help the young players deepen their experiences and express themselves more effectively. Creative drama is not acting as adults think of it. It requires no script or memorized lines. It is improvised and centers on children as the participants. Older children often want to extend the process and present their work for an audience. This is fine, so long as the desire to "go public" comes from them, for it is the process rather than the product that is important for youngsters. In middle school or junior high, many children become ready for what most people think of as the "theater arts" which involve a stage, actors and a play. This implies theater's formal elements: acting, directing, scene and costume design, as well as technical concerns such as stage management, set building, lighting, publicity, etc. Besides creating theater in its many forms, children also benefit from seeing it. Children's theater, comprising an ever-growing diversity of companies and scripts, is an excellent introduction to lifelong enjoyment of theater. For young children the theater arts are best used informally and playfully. This offers pre-kindergarten and elementary-age children opportunities to make theater that is a natural extension of their physical, intellectual and emotional lives. Creative drama builds on the universal human desire to understand our world by imitating and reenacting it. As a parent, you can help your child enjoy dramatic play, even if you have had no theater background or experience. First of all, you can encourage your child to play. Enter into the game, taking cues as to your role. For example, your daughter may want you to be a storekeeper or a customer, a doctor or a patient, a bus driver or passenger, depending on which character she wants to be. Provide a place for creative drama. This could be a comer of the child's room where toys are kept. "Props" can be simple and commonplace. For instance, a scarf can become a shawl, a sash or any number of things. Hats can denote different characters. Baskets, bags and plastic dishes are all useful props. Dramatic play need not be confined to one space, for it is spontaneous and the impulse to enact a character or imitate an action is rarely planned in advance. Chances are it will be brief and fragmentary, although as children grow older the game becomes longer and more detailed. Favorite stories and activities are often repeated, but even with repetition new ideas are constantly generated, thus fostering continued imaginative growth for the children. Read aloud and tell stories. Good literature suggests many possibilities and discourages a tendency to imitate situations seen on television. However, many ideas may come from real life issues, even for very young children. Finally, enjoy these spontaneous moments. Remember that they are the child's first engagement with an art form and can lead to lifelong pleasure. You are not encouraging a career in the theater; you are helping in the development of a human being through this most human of the arts, the theater. Benefits of Creative Drama What Does Creative Drama Offer to Young Children? Creative drama provides many benefits, among them:
Creative drama offers benefits for parents too:
Because creative drama is a group activity requiting skilled leadership, you should check with your child's teacher or principal to see whether it is already part of the school program. It may be that you will want to look further to find opportunities in your community for classes in the performing arts. While many schools are now adding theater to the curriculum, unfortunately it is absent in most elementary schools. Therefore, you should look for available resources in the following places:
While creative drama involves children as active participants, children's theater engages them as audience. Plays range from entertainment for the primary grades to more mature material designed for junior high school. Many, adult plays can be enjoyed by older teenagers and (depending on the subject matter and the style of the production) by younger audiences as well. Children's theater companies should be checked carefully, before taking a child to a performance or engaging a company for a school assembly. Many plays are over-simplified for the very young, with occasional lines aimed at the adults in the audience; this is a condescending practice and children are quick to perceive it. Some good sources of information about children's theater companies are: theater departments of colleges and universities; newspaper reviews, if available; local or state arts councils; the American Alliance for Theater and Education (AATE). In addition, many regional arts agencies support touting theaters for children and young audiences. Your state arts council can put you in touch with the regional organization for your area. Benefits of Attending the Theater Going to the theater has many benefits for children, among them:
By attending children's theater regularly, both parent and child gain personal likes and dislikes and can grasp what is an excellent production as opposed to one that is poor or merely competent. If you have not attended children's theater regularly, here are some elements that characterize a good production, along with some questions concerning each element. Not every criterion will apply to every production.
The American Alliance for theater and Education: Artists and Educators Serving Young People, a professional organization, promotes the highest standards of excellence in drama and theater education for children and youth. We provide the theater educator and theater artist with a network of resources and support, a base for advocacy, and programs and projects that focus on the importance of drama in the human experience. For more information, contact: American Alliance for Theater and Education Department of Theater Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287 Back to the Table of Contents CreditsThe National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency, was founded by Congress in 1965 to foster excellence in the arts throughout the United States, to help broaden the public's understanding of the arts and provide broader access to the nation's rich cultural resources. NEA's Arts in Education Program focuses on increasing and improving arts programs in the nation's schools. For more information write: Arts in Education, National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20506Note: Graphics Omitted for on-line version (as well as notes where graphics would have been) Back to top |
