Exploring Children’s Communication through Art in the Early Years: The Role of the Teacher

Abstract

The idea that art influences children’s communication and their general well-being is shared by most art educators and early childhood philosophers. Most children in the early years express themselves through art since they lack the ability to communicate with vocabulary and written words. This implies that teachers need to use a lot of art-based activities to meet this need of children in the early years. Based on a case study design, the study explored the pictorial representations of art done by children between the ages of two and four years at the pre-school level and the role of teachers in facilitating art activities at this level.  Guided by observation and semi-structured interview guide, a qualitative approach was used. A sample of 30 pupils’ works and 5 teachers were used for the study. The study revealed that children communicated through art but teachers did not have enough skills to guide them to promote their artistic abilities. The study, therefore, recommended that teachers should be given in- service training to equip them to provide children with the needed opportunities to express themselves through art.

Keywords: Art, Communication, Children, Early Years, Teacher