Everyone knows that a child needs to learn to read and do math in order to function in this world. Putting on a play or drawing a picture doesn't seem to fit. It doesn't seem necessary, at least not at first. But expression and communication is what life is about. It gives us meaning.
Babies communicate from a birth with facial expressions, body position, and vocalizing.
As a baby grows older, he becomes more able to manipulate his environment and begins to play with things to both find out how they work and to communicate his point of view. Children continue to do this through play. Giving children access to a wide variety of materials to use to express themselves allows them to grow and develop their own unique perception of the world. Each column will focus on a particular form of the arts. I'll give you ideas for how to incorporate this art form into your life, and a list of resource materials.