Artasia at Queen Street

It is intriguing to engage young children (who are not yet at the age to speak, or even hold a pencil) with art activities that would interest them and also stimulate learning and growth, particularly in a free-flowing format like that of an EarlyON. What is special about this experience, however, is that even though caregivers are present throughout program delivery, they have the opportunity to witness their child independently engaging with an activity that is specifically designed to work for their age group and skill level. Being able to witness the growth and independent thinking in their child first-hand is an experience that caregivers would not be able to see once the child gets older and starts structured schooling, which is why this kind of programming worked so well at this site. Parents and caregivers routinely came up to me to express how much they appreciated the uniqueness of the activities, also feeling inspired by the materials to attempt them in their own personal spaces with their child. This is an accurate representation of why art programming can be crucial in the early development of children – it taps into their inherently curious and free-spirited nature that transcends structured schooling, allowing them to approach everyday things with a creative outlook.

Sensory play activities such as “Time” were successful when engaging toddlers and pre-school children. An interesting observation I made during this activity was when one parent posed the question: “So this activity does not have any outcome?” Meanwhile, her young child of less than age 2, did not present any confusion or hesitation. He intrinsically knew what to do with the sticky tape and cellophane paper, and adapted to using the materials without needing any guidance. The participants of this activity were younger children who did not possess the ability to ask questions, and yet, intuitively knew how to embrace the concept of “Time”. Parents tend to overthink and over-analyze the purpose of an activity, as we are perhaps programmed to do as adults. Children, however, can often be free thinkers and creative without intellectual barriers. Another important observation could be made during the activity of “Energy.” Many times at an EarlyON, parents and caregivers tend to hesitate before encouraging their child from participating in art activities that could be considered “messy”. However, when presented with new and exciting material like bleeding tissue paper, children were naturally drawn to participate out of sheer curiosity. Children who normally would not engage with art programming also actively used the materials with enthusiasm. One of the caregivers expressed her surprise when looking at her child of age 2 make multiple artworks in one session, and even turning down the opportunity to play in the gym so he could continue the activity. His mother said that the activity was a unique idea that sparked her child’s curiosity even though he usually did not show interest in making art. The specific themes and prompts designed for Artasia at this site highlighted how arts programming can be modified for different age groups and allow younger children to become more independent in their creative thinking.

– Noor Butt