Creativity and the arts play an important role in child development as creativity is natural in children from a young age through play and using their imagination. However, in today's school system creativity and the arts are often suppressed by making students sit still and not engage in creative activities. Integrating the arts into the curriculum benefits children's learning and higher-order thinking skills. It is important that both parents and teachers support enhancing the role of creativity and the arts in the school system to help children develop their full potential.

1. Creativity and The Arts in Education

2. Creativity and the Arts Creativity in the Arts plays such an important and extremely influential role in a child's early development as Creativity is both play and the Arts .

3. The definition of creativity has been effectively changing and influenced by constant innovation and adjustment to the surrounding environment . It is becoming more diverse and less linear in its thinking and has gone from something logical and behavioural like “Solving problems”, to a much more lateral and provisional approach. "Being creative is seeing the same thing as everybody else but thinking of something different“ Or “ The ability to take existing objects and combine them in different ways for new purposes”

4. Creativity in the Arts consists of, Visual Arts... Shape, order, spatial understanding, light/dark, chromatic harmony-dissonance, symmetry, perspective distance

5. ...Plastics/3D Arts... Texture, shape, balance, proportion, hardness, resilience, liquid/solid/viscosity

6. ...Theatre and Drama... Communication, interpersonal processes, conversation Movement/gestures/body language, choices of words/phrases/expression, Social processes and values, storytelling, relationships

7. ...Dance and Movement... Kinesthetic self, movement in space, contrast between stillness, slowness, speed, and different kinds of movement, body/mind connections

8. ...Music... Counting, rhythm, movement, melody, harmony, repetition, rhyme, tone, aural texture, language, meaning, metaphor

9. ...and to the surprise of many Literacy and Numeracy Districts have reported that arts-rich curricula can enhance literacy by as much as 24%, and numeracy by as much as 6%! There is an improvement in scores as a result of these visual arts experiences.

10. Creativity is thought, by contemporary theorists, to be a unique quality of humanity and vital to learning and development.

11. Creativity comes naturally to children before they even come to school. While engaged in play, a child instinctively explores and discovers the science and the mystery of living. This is a natural process that flows into life lessons and skills .

12. Learn The human brain is the most complex system on earth! Create Problem-Solve Remember The brain makes it possible for us to...

13. Colour, music, movement and rhyme all aim to capture and hold the attention of a young mind. Therefore, creating a positive environment to enhance, nurture and stimulate action and interaction. However, when human beings are cut off from their cultural roots, or deprived of using all their senses through which to learn and create and problem-solve, they may never develop their capacities to the fullest.

14. There is a connection between play, the arts and learning... Play engages students hearts and minds without hesitation. The Arts provide devices that can develop a seamless transition from play into learning. They provide activities that gradually lead students to more intentional activity and thinking and create an environment conductive to learning. This can be called Higher Order Thinking....

15. Play +Creativity= Higher Order Thinking

16. Higher Order Thinking provides innovative and generative thinking through inquiry, exploration and imaginative possibilities. “ Higher Order thinking challenges students to use and expand their minds.” (Hilton & Hilton 2005)

17. Wonderful examples of Primary School work involving creativity with Higher Order Thinking LIFE cycle of a butterfly I start as a caterpillar I am so small I cling to a leaf and never fall I shed my skin five times a day And when I'm not safe I camouflage away I build a chrysalis around myself It's just I am on a shelf Now, now, now I can fly up high! Of course that's it I'm a B U T T E R F L Y! Rain Rain falls from clouds as you know If it gets cold it'll turn to snow The clouds that look like paper But are made of vapour Get very black you see Soon start to do their wee! Please learn the water cycle Then you'll see your knowledge sparkle!

18. From a very young age, parents educate children through song, rhymes and story telling or use their body language to convey messages. Activities involving movement can positively impact on the development of writing and reading skills, oral language skills and social skills. Learning through dance, rhythmical movement or song can make abstract ideas more understandable and comprehensible.

19. Many kinaesthetic students who literally need to move to learn find dance and movement an expressive window in which to stimulates the senses and energises the whole mind-body system. This furthers improvement in concentration and development.

20. Children are a captive audience if their senses are heightened by ancillary tools such as music, dance movement and colour. Learning is made fun with songs and dances, therefore groups such as “The Wiggles” play a huge role as educators for young minds. Getting up and moving stimulates the brain and enhances learning capacity.

43. Creativity is a vital part in a child's mind and a natural and amazing tool in young schooling. Before they even come to school, children already know, and are good at, play and they are developing sophisticated artistic skills.

44. However, while developing these skills, school takes them into a new world, where they are told to do things that are unnatural to what they already know. Emotions and play are discouraged, and movement in the body is restricted.

45. There is no exploring, no playing and no encouragement for imagination in the classroom.

46. The Arts play a significant role in a child’s development as imagination is natural in a child. To suppress this, as today's schooling curriculum does, by making students sit and not move, stops innovative and generative thinking.

47. The Arts in the school curriculum, are under-valued and are not recognised as a central role in schooling. Creativity and the arts have a pivotal role in education and are an essential tool in today’s curriculum for the growth and development of youth. The curriculum are clearly stratified!

48. How can we help ? A new proposition is to enhance the value that creativity in the arts has in school and support creativity to give your children the fundamental chance to express their creativity and improve their higher order thinking.

49. Bringing the arts into school curriculum and pedagogy is simply continuing the natural motivators of learning. There must be an increase in the importance of creativity to the syllabus, or it could be detrimental to your child’s development and well being.

50. Both parents and teachers need to be behind this movement, raise awareness and give support to the children.

51. The Arts are always a very popular class with children and teachers alike. The children that enjoy the arts not only say that its “different”, “active” and “a way to express yourself”. However, The majority of students who look forward to art are also strongly and consistently motivated. Therefore, to support the arts in classrooms, both teachers and parents have to encourage their children and get involved in the activities.

52. Help your children excel! Support the ongoing need to push creativity in the arts back up the curriculum strata to give your child the best chance in school and in life.

53. Thank you for coming!