Teaching and learning approaches to the curriculum areas

The holistic approach to Early Years describes how all of the Cambridge Early Years curriculum areas are equally important and interconnected. It is therefore recommended that the content from these areas is taught in an interconnected and holistic manner. The following information will however support you to consider the teaching and learning approaches that are specific to each curriculum area. 

Creative Expression

Across art and design, music, dance and drama activities, you should provide opportunities for children to explore and express themselves freely. This includes enabling them to make choices about the materials, tools and techniques they use, or about the movements they make. 

You should also provide wide-ranging stimuli to support children in developing their own ideas. For example, a selection of natural materials, a visit to a particular location that may provide a stimulus to one or more of the senses, images of people or places, unusual objects, photographs or examples of other people’s work, or a visit from a local musician.

Also try to provide a range of audiences for children’s work. The presented work might be the actual output or photographs and videos. For example, the audience might be children in your wider setting, children in other settings, parents and carers, or members of the wider community.   

It is important not to become over focused on the end product. While it is nice to have something to display, photograph or take home, it is the process of being creative that is most important.

Although children should experience a wide range of art and music resources, you should not feel constrained by a lack of traditional resources. For example:

• for art and design, you can use natural materials, like feathers, stones, leaves and sticks to create a collage or as mark-making tools
• for music you can use informal and improvised percussion, like body parts, saucepans and wooden spoons.  

• describe the ideas that their work represents
• explain the choices they have made in their work
• talk about other works, including what they like and dislike, or how the work makes them feel. The range of other works that children encounter should include a range of other contexts, cultures and times.
• make links between different curriculum areas. For example, using the language of mathematics to talk about the lines and shapes created through dance
• reflect on their own and others' work, making suggestions for possible improvements and celebrating achievements.

You should also support children to follow their own interests when they are exploring and demonstrating their creativity. For example, some may become creative when building a den rather than producing a piece of two-dimensional art. Therefore, when you are planning creative activities, try to include a range of resources so that children recognise the freedom to pursue their own interests. Your understanding of each child’s interests will be beneficial here.