′An excellent resource for all those working with young children... jam-packed with exciting, inspirational activities that encourage young children to nurture their creativity and imagination while helping practitioners to facilitate what children do naturally... It is a book that celebrates and encourages original thought and action to support learning through exploration and investigation, recognising that creativity is about representing one′s own image and not reproducing someone else′s′ - Early Years Educator ′[I]nspirational... This book is easy to read, refreshing and exciting, and I would recommend it to all those working with young children. It is also useful for students, clearly articulating the reasons for providing well-organised child-initiated creative opportunities rather than adult-directed activities′ - Nursery World It is an interesting and informative manual aimed at those who work with children in the 3-5 years age range, and is therefore most suited to anyone in a Pre-School or Day Nursery setting, and could also be valuable to a Reception Teacher...over all, I found this to be a very useful book′. - National Childminding Association Packed full of exciting ideas and powerful visual aids, this book will help those working with young children to encourage and nurture their creativity and imagination. The book takes examples of what has worked in an early years setting, and transfers these inspirational activities onto the page. The book includes: " practical activities in Art, Dance and Music and ideas on how to link them together; " advice on how to make the most of music, lighting, space and nursery resources; " showing how the work supports the Foundation Stage Curriculum; " ideas for cross-curricular work; " suggestions for recording children′s progress; " advice on how to choose materials, and a list of specialist suppliers. Everyone involved in working with young children should read this book. Nursery practitioners, early years teachers, Sure Start workers, play workers and Children′s Centre staff will find it an invaluable resource. It is also useful for specialist staff in hospitals and other areas of health.

Reviews of the first edition “In addition to expected information about developmental stages and caregiver response, Duffy discusses diversity and accessibility issues that affect children’s response to opportunities to express their creativity … an admirably detailed guide to creativity for persons involved in caring for young children.” Education Review “The strength of Bernadette Duffy’s book is her ability to share through tables, examples, theory and reflections her deep understanding of children’s creative process…” Montessori International Magazine Learning through the arts has the potential to stimulate open ended activity that encourages discovery, exploration, experimentation and invention, thus contributing to children’s development in all areas of learning and helping to make the curriculum meaningful to them. Bernadette Duffy draws on her extensive experience of promoting young children's creativity and imagination to examine how visual representations, music, dance, imaginative play and drama can enable children to express their feelings, thoughts and responses. She highlights examples of good practice and provides practical guidance for those working with young children in a variety of settings, including home, school and centre-based care. Updated throughout, this second edition considers creativity and imagination in the light of contemporary initiatives such as Every Child Matters, Birth to Three Matters, Sure Start and the Foundation Stage curriculum. Supporting Creativity and Imagination in the Early Years is essential reading for early years practitioners and students, as well as anyone who delights in young children's learning and development and wants to explore new ways of supporting it.

Creative Activities for the Early Years contains over 160 art and music activities for use with children aged 0-5. These tried and tested activities, which include songs, rhymes, and story suggestions, are ideal for use in all early years settings. Whether your topic is the autumn, the Chinese New Year or the coastline, you can be sure that children will find the art and music ideas in this book interesting and entertaining. The activities encourage children to use their imagination to communicate ideas, and develop their gross and fine motor skills. The activities are grouped by popular early years themes and can be used as a complete programme or as a dip-in resource.

′An excellent resource for all those working with young children... jam-packed with exciting, inspirational activities that encourage young children to nurture their creativity and imagination while helping practitioners to facilitate what children do naturally... It is a book that celebrates and encourages original thought and action to support learning through exploration and investigation, recognising that creativity is about representing one′s own image and not reproducing someone else′s′ - Early Years Educator ′[I]nspirational... This book is easy to read, refreshing and exciting, and I would recommend it to all those working with young children. It is also useful for students, clearly articulating the reasons for providing well-organised child-initiated creative opportunities rather than adult-directed activities′ - Nursery World It is an interesting and informative manual aimed at those who work with children in the 3-5 years age range, and is therefore most suited to anyone in a Pre-School or Day Nursery setting, and could also be valuable to a Reception Teacher...over all, I found this to be a very useful book′. - National Childminding Association Packed full of exciting ideas and powerful visual aids, this book will help those working with young children to encourage and nurture their creativity and imagination. The book takes examples of what has worked in an early years setting, and transfers these inspirational activities onto the page. The book includes: " practical activities in Art, Dance and Music and ideas on how to link them together; " advice on how to make the most of music, lighting, space and nursery resources; " showing how the work supports the Foundation Stage Curriculum; " ideas for cross-curricular work; " suggestions for recording children′s progress; " advice on how to choose materials, and a list of specialist suppliers. Everyone involved in working with young children should read this book. Nursery practitioners, early years teachers, Sure Start workers, play workers and Children′s Centre staff will find it an invaluable resource. It is also useful for specialist staff in hospitals and other areas of health.

Organized around 14 chapters, Section One looks at policy, pedagogy and key issues in practice surrounding the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and Section Two looks at the areas of learning and development in EYFS. Ways to plan, implement, observe and evaluate activities for young children from Birth to 5 are discussed, a range of theoretical perspectives is built upon and different ways of delivering the EYFS are explored. By combining sound theoretical underpinning with practical case studies, this book offers a critical approach to the implementation of EYFS. It takes its inspiration and examples of best practice from projects based in a range of early years settings, and considers the role of the practitioner and the holistic development of the child.

Why Art & Trauma? By making their own choices as they engage in sensory art experiences, children gain confidence, release stress, express emotions, and develop critical-thinking skills. Art offers a unique opportunity for children to safely experiment with the physical world and re-wire their brains to reduce the negative effects of trauma, all while learning to identify as creative thinkers. This highly illustrated and easy-to-use resource supports trauma-informed work with children ages 3-8. It delves into both the theory and practice of therapeutic art and includes 21 original art lessons and 60 art techniques, all presented visually for ease of use. Both text and illustrations demonstrate how to create a safe, non-retraumatizing environment for children to experience safety, connection and calm. Ideal for implementing into classroom environments, including preschools, kindergarten, early primary grades, afterschool programs, child counselling centers and community-based youth programs, this professional resource is perfectly adaptable for a variety of educational and therapeutic contexts.

Most people accept that early years education should aim to develop children's creativity, but this raises a number of questions: What is creativity? How does it relate to such concepts as imagination, self-expression and intelligence? Why is it valuable?--and in what ways? Can creativity be taught? And, if so, how? And how can it be assessed?In this carefully-weighed, clearly written and scholarly study, Anna Craft answers these and related questions, providing in the process a comprehensive guide to creativity for all those who work with children in the early years.