1. Creative Arts in Early Childhood Settings: Unlocking Children’s
Creativity
Presenter: Agnieszka Rudnicki
Creative Arts Professor at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, Toronto ON
Contact: agnieszka.rudnicki@senecacollege.ca
Workshop description
“Creativity is now as important in education as literacy, and we
should treat it with the same status". - Sir Ken Robinson
Creativity and critical thinking have both been flagged as essential 21st
century learning skills. In this interactive workshop you will learn how to
support and nurture emerging creativity of young children, even if you do
not consider yourself a creative person! We will examine the importance
of the creative process in the early years and develop an awareness of
developmentally appropriate art activities for children that truly nurture
creativity. You will discover crucial links between art and literacy and gain
practical information regarding a successful art centre set up. Lastly, you
will learn how to talk to children about their art to support higher order
thinking skills, without saying “I like it”!
Creative Teaching Starts with
Empowerment!
In this interactive workshop you will:
• look at creativity in a new way
• discover how play, creativity and critical
thinking are connected
• learn about the creative process
• discover the difference between
teacher guided and teacher directed
art activities
• see links between art and literacy
• gain new knowledge about art centre
set up
• learn how to talk to children about their
art
• become a confident art specialist
Victoria, age 4, Full Day Early Learning KG Program