Planting the Seed: Early Encounters With Art and Materials for Infants and Toddlers
Date
Authors
Probine, Sarah
Denee, Rachel
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
The University of Auckland
Abstract
This article reports findings from a qualitative case study exploring visual arts pedagogy for infants and toddlers in four early childhood education settings in Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing on interviews, observations, and document analysis, the research examined how kaiako (teachers) designed and facilitated culturally responsive, intentional visual arts experiences. Findings highlight the importance of relational pedagogy, sustained engagement with rich materials, and teachers’ views of infants and toddlers as capable, agentic learners. Teachers described their practice as a dynamic “dance” of stepping back to honour children’s exploration and stepping forward to sensitively guide and extend. Organisational conditions, including leadership support and collaborative inquiry, were essential for embedding visual arts as a valued part of the curriculum. The study underscores the transformative potential of early visual arts experiences for fostering identity, wellbeing, and dispositions for learning and calls for strengthened guidance and professional development in this area.Description
Keywords
1301 Education Systems, 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy, 1607 Social Work, 3903 Education systems
Source
The First Years: Ngā Tau Tuatahi | New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education, ISSN: 1175-0529 (Print), 27(3), 14-20. University of Auckland.
DOI
Rights statement
The First Years Ngā Tau Tuatahi journal publication is subject to the copyright provisions of Creative Commons (Attribution-NonCommercial) License. For full details of this license, please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/