Every Child is an Artist.

Pablo Picasso

For tamariki birth to school age, the arts play a very important role in communication and the expression of ideas. In fact, it is often said that the arts are the first literacies for tamariki. This is because each of these disciplines involves the use of symbols (expression, movement, gesture, image, and sound) to convey meaning. The arts is the optimum way for tamariki in early childhood to engage in complex modes of thinking and abstract ideas. The arts are powerful forms of expression that recognise, value, and contribute to the unique bicultural and multicultural character of Aotearoa New Zealand, enriching the lives of all New Zealanders. The arts have their own distinct languages that use both verbal and non-verbal conventions, mediated by selected processes and technologies. through movement, sound, and image, the arts transform people’s creative ideas into expressive works that communicate layered meanings.

To support our children’s artistic skills and further extend their interests we provide them wide range of resources to explore. We provide them open ended resources, ideas and models, which they could utilize to recreate, using their imagination and creativity.

Children experience an environment where they discover different ways to be creative and expressive.

Ministry of Education (2017) Te Whāriki: New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum