In Kris Stringer’s preschool class, located near the border of California and Mexico, most of the children have never experienced a winter in the Northern region. However, with the assistance of a friendly and expressive stuffed tree brought to life by puppeteer Ingrid Crepeau, they have been able to witness the beauty of autumn with falling leaves in shades of orange, brown, and red. They have also observed a mouse and a rabbit seeking shelter underground to keep warm and guided small bird puppets towards the south for the seasonal migration."He looks like an octopus," a young boy remarked as he observed Ms. Crepeau covering the tree’s "feet" with a blanket."Those are tree roots," she explained. "Trees use their roots to stay upright."Ms. Crepeau, an Emmy Award-winning performer, is part of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, an organization in Vienna, Virginia that collaborates with over 200 artists. These artists are placed in preschool classrooms and child-care centers for residencies lasting between one and seven weeks. The institute, which has been operating for twenty years, aims to enrich the curriculum and provide teachers with new techniques.However, the work of artists affiliated with Wolf Trap has increasingly focused on enhancing young children’s literacy and language development, as testified by Katy Roberson, the director of a preschool center with 700 students in the South Bay Union School District. Roberson commented, "All I know is that we have kids talking that didn’t talk before."The Connection Between Art and LiteracyAccording to Miriam C. Flaherty, the education director at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, there are numerous connections between the arts and "emergent literacy," as researchers call it. Whether it involves using a drum to emphasize the syllables in a child’s name or recognizing the beginning, middle, and end of a story, the arts play a crucial role in literacy development. Flaherty emphasizes the importance of equipping artists with the necessary training to understand the literacy connection and support teachers’ efforts. The institute seeks out artists who are not only experts in their respective artistic disciplines, such as drama, music, or movement, but also possess experience in early-childhood education. For instance, one of the artists, Bobbi Lucas, is both a professional dancer and holds a degree in special education. This background enables her to adapt her work to meet the specific needs of the children she works with.In a class of severely mentally disabled children, Lucas utilizes a small keyboard and basic movements to help them enhance gross motor skills. By incorporating rhythm and movement, she shows them how they can communicate using their bodies. In another class comprised of 3- and 4-year-olds, Lucas uses sheer, white scarves to stimulate conversation and imagination. The children’s creativity is encouraged as they envision themselves as superheroes or embark on exciting adventures. The use of props like scarves ensures active participation from the children, facilitating their learning experience, as explained by Flaherty. A Transformative ExperienceThe work conducted by the artists at Wolf Trap goes beyond mere puppet shows or entertainment. Their presence in the preschool classrooms shapes the children’s perception of the world, expands their vocabulary, and nurtures their burgeoning literacy skills. The integration of arts into early childhood education creates a dynamic learning environment that fosters creativity, imagination, and cognitive growth. As the children engage with the arts, they develop a love for learning and gain valuable skills that will benefit them throughout their educational journey and beyond.
The program also involves parents. At VIP Village, which stands for Very Important Preschoolers, Ms. Crepeau led a packed lunchtime workshop for over 60 parents and their children. She acted out the story of Jack and the Beanstalk using only her hands and then demonstrated to the parents how to create animal puppets using paper plates, tube socks, and sheets of “fun foam," a cuttable smooth material.
The Impact of Children’s Artistic Expression
A report from the Arts Education Partnership in 1998 highlighted the natural connection between early childhood education and the arts. According to the report, "the arts motivate and engage children in learning, stimulate memory and facilitate understanding, enhance symbolic communication, promote relationships, and provide an avenue for building competence." Music and drama, as mentioned by Ms. Flaherty, present opportunities for rhyming, alliteration, and expanding vocabulary.
Thomas Cahill, the executive director of Studio in a School, a program based in New York City that brings artists into schools to collaborate with teachers, students, and parents, also recognizes the benefits of visual arts in children’s experiences. Studio in a School’s early childhood division is currently working in 59 preschools, child-care centers, and Head Start programs across the city. Through these residencies, children engage in activities such as mixing and managing paint, molding and modeling materials, and building. Mr. Cahill believes that part of the artistic process for young children is being able to describe what they have created. He emphasizes that art encourages open discussion among children, who take pride in their creations and even invent stories about them. The role of arts in the classroom has been a subject of debate, with some considering it an optional addition to the curriculum, while others believe it to be an integral part of learning.
A study conducted by Harvard University’s Project Zero, exploring learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, revealed that acting out stories improves children’s verbal skills and readiness for reading. However, the researchers, Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, did not find similar associations between other art forms, such as playing a musical instrument, and academic achievements in reading or mathematics. Consequently, they concluded, like many others, that further research is necessary to determine the impact of arts education on children’s academic progress. Studio in a School, like the Wolf Trap Institute, encourages teachers to view themselves as artists and to continue incorporating the arts into their instruction even after the professionals have left. Alan Yaffe, the director of the graduate program in arts administration at the University of Cincinnati, asserts that the teachers’ long-term utilization of the arts is what truly leaves a lasting impression on the students. Mr. Yaffe is currently conducting a three-year study on how the institute’s work with preschoolers in the Baltimore school district affects them. He believes that this focus on teachers is particularly crucial for low-income children who may struggle with verbal skills. At VIP Village, Ms. Roberson expects her staff to maintain this ongoing commitment.
"I never want to walk into a classroom and see a teacher merely reading a story," Ms. Roberson explained. "I expect more."
