April
1st,
2025
The Atelier; an initiative to foster creativity in Early Childhood
Art education is essential for children's all-round development. Boys and girls use art to explore the world, express feelings and give shape to their own emotions in a way which goes beyond words.
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Art encourages creativity, curiosity and critical thinking. When children experiment with colours, textures and materials, they work on their fine motor skills but also learn to make decisions, solve problems and express their identity. As Eisner argues, educating the artistic gaze is about more than just teaching how to draw or paint as it additionally involves learning to observe, interpret and engage in dialogue with images and materials. Art helps us to gain a deeper and more personal understanding of reality. He says that what is important is not technical perfection but rather the process of exploring and expressing. Children should feel free to experiment and find their own artistic expression without external judgments constraining their creativity.
Inspired by Loris Malaguzzi's Reggio Emilia teaching approach, our Early Childhood Educationatelier is a vibrant and evocative place where young learners can express themselves freely through the "hundred languages of children" which Malaguzzi talked about. In keeping with his philosophy, it features natural materials and meticulous lighting where the materials and tools are carefully presented to encourage children to try things out, experiment, discover and create.
This is what our students have to say:
“I like theatelier because I can invent colours.”
“Yellow and red playtag. Now one's caught the other and they're turning orange."
“This leaf looks like a hand… how about I put some fingers on it?”
“When I add more water to the paint, it seems like it’s crying.”
The atelier is a place where art, science and play come together to unlock children's autonomy, curiosity and personal expression under the respectful guidance of adults as facilitators of learning.
