Children’s early artistic learning: What do we need to know? What do we need to do?

Dr Emese Hall, Senior Lecturer in Art Education, University of Exeter, UK Introduction Children’s early artistic learning can be very interesting, but the term ‘development’ can be misleading as it might be seen to assume an unfolding of something that is bound to occur, and over which the individual has little control. For example, we often think of young children as inherently creative and uninhibited in their art-making – indeed, this perception inspired many twentieth-century European artists to try to emulate child-like qualities in their own artworks. However, nurture is as important as nature, and I argue that this point is equally relevant in formal and informal learning contexts. This perspective piece covers the meaning of ‘art’ and its place in the Early Years curriculum; artistic expression; representations in different media; and the value of risk-taking. My writing is informed by my experience and knowledge as an educator, artist, researcher and parent of