Creative Arts
He’s bopping to the beat, moving and grooving and painting the world as he sees it.
Will he be the next Picasso, Kehinde Wiley or Monet? Does he sing in the shower, dance in the rain or repeat lines from his favorite cartoon? In kindergarten, he is exploring creativity in music, theater, dance and visual arts, appreciating beauty that already exists and creating masterpieces of his own.
Your Kindergartener
He is listening to all kinds of music, discovering what he likes and does not. When he likes a song, pieces of it may show up in the music he creates himself, coming up with simple rhythms and melodies that bring a giggle. Music is a language like any other and building early musical literacy skills will help him in other subjects, too!
Your kindergartener might love dancing, too. He can demonstrate and describe dances, copying movements that are fast and slow and high and low, moving in response to the music. He can tell you which dance moves he likes and doesn’t like, and if you’re lucky, he’ll even show you.
He is also learning about theater, describing settings in plays and favorite tv shows and identifying characters. He expresses emotions in response to characters and relates to them. “She likes running, and I do too!” He tells you what he likes and doesn’t in theater, discovering himself as he discovers the characters onstage or on the screen.
Finally, visual arts are taking center stage as your child explores and imagines with paint, chalk, clay, crayons, pencils and other kinds of media. He can create art that represents nature and make pieces that show imaginary or man-made things, too. He can use art to tell a story about his life. You see the beauty he is creating on and off the page.
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Melodies, Rhythm and Rhyme
Your kindergartener is singing, playing, moving to and observing music from all around the world. She is speaking and singing songs with rhythm and emotion. She’s even trying out different instruments while maintaining a steady beat. She can make music louder or softer, higher or lower, faster or slower. She is gaining skills that will last her a lifetime.
Look for Signs of Learning at Your Child's Care
Are children listening to, singing and playing music? Look for programs that help children grow musical skills or incorporate music into their learning.
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All the World is My Stage
He’s creating props, puppets and costumes to bring imaginary worlds to life. He is acting alongside peers, contributing to fun dramatic performances, telling short stories and/or sharing original ideas. He is learning theater techniques, even if he doesn’t know it, and uses them to express himself.
Look for Signs of Learning at Your Child's Care
How does your child’s provider encourage creative expression through acting and make believe? Are props available for children to add to their stories? Child care should foster imagination!
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Dance, Dance Kindergarten
Now that he can stick with a drawing or model a little longer, your child’s visual art is becoming more complex. He can also cooperate with others to turn his ideas into lines, shapes and colors. Celebrate what he makes, even if it’s sometimes hard to make out (“Does this dog have wings?”), and set aside some wall space for a growing gallery of work!
Look for Signs of Learning at Your Child's Care
From crayons to water colors to glue… is there a wide variety of creative materials available? Children should have lots of chances – and encouragement from teachers – to use them to create mini masterpieces.
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Clay, Crayons and Colors Galore
Your child is learning about and expressing herself through visual arts. She’s beginning to identify safe art materials and tools, explain her artistic process and talk about artwork she has made. She can describe what images represent and explain why she likes or dislikes certain pieces. She may tell you about art portfolios, collections and museums and share uses for art. Your little artist is growing in knowledge and in skills.
Look for Signs of Learning at Your Child's Care
Do children paint, draw, color, sculpt, build and create in all forms? “Your sketch is colorful and bright, Jose!” Look for signs that self-expression and learning through art is a priority.
Ideas to Learn and Play Together!
From playtime to bedtime, your child is always learning. Check out these family activities for building their skills and family connections. All children learn and grow at their own pace and in their own way. For more information about the skills and milestones for your child's age, check out our developmental milestones resource page.
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Create Playful Puppets
Your child will have so much fun making puppets and putting on a show. Toilet paper rolls, popsicle sticks and colored paper make great puppets! So do socks, oven mitts and paper bags! Get creative without breaking the bank and watch your kindergartener’s artistic skills come to life. Once puppets are made, stretch a sheet across a doorway or put a tablecloth on a coffee table to form a stage. Support your child in dramatic storytelling by asking questions as they act. “How would that make you feel?” or “What happens next?” go a long way in helping your kindergartener express herself.
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Make Instruments and Music
Got some rubber bands and empty yogurt cups or tissue boxes? Stretch rubber bands around different containers and pluck the strings of your homemade guitar. Talk with your child as he plays. “Does the thicker rubber band make a higher or lower sound?” or “How can you play softer or louder?” Want to make a wind instrument too? Wrap wax paper tightly on one end of a toilet paper roll and seal it with a rubber band – voila, you’ve got a kazoo! Poke a hole (or several) in the end and experiment with different pitches and speeds. Making instruments combines art, music and invention!
