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Literature - My Rocket: Young Children's Identity Construction Through Drawing 

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Literature - My Rocket: Young Children's Identity Construction Through Drawing 

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This study explores the communicative potential of young children's drawing through case studies of 14 children aged four to six at a rural English school. It collects nearly 800 spontaneous drawings and interview data to investigate how young children use drawing as a means of expressing their identities and social understandings. It found that gender differences were noted in stands such as people, names, vehicles, fire, and human-made environmental features. From the nine drawings featuring rockets, the researcher focused on how general gender differences can mask individual differences, preferences, requiring more nuanced understanding of gender in connection to children's identity and drawing.

This article by Emese Hall (2020) provides valuable insights that aligns with my research topic, they draw particular exploration on children's choices of subject matter such as rockets, vehicle, and other themes. The findings highlight that children use art to negotiate gender roles, express personal interests, and shape their understanding of themselves in relation to their cultural contexts.

Relating this to my topic, the article affirms the importance of providing open-ended, expressive art activities that allow children to explore their interests, feelings, and social roles. Emphasising the socio-cultural influences on children's artwork, I could think about offering creative art experience that enables them to experiment with different roles and narratives at the same time.

Furthermore, the study underscores the significance of engaging in conversations with children about their art, as these dialogues offer deeper insights into their perspectives and support their identity development. Integrating reflective discussions alongside creative activities can empower children to articulate their thoughts, preferences, and experiences. The finding of gender influences children's identity, and drawing also made me rethink the possible influence of variables in my research.

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Literature - I, You and We: Expressive Arts Therapy interventions and Childhood Identity Development 

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Literature - I, You and We: Expressive Arts Therapy interventions and Childhood Identity Development 

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This thesis explores the integration of intermodal Expressive Arts therapy and childhood identity development. The finding indicates positive outcomes, including increased self-awareness, improved confidence, mood stabilisation, and better relationships. The study highlights the potential of arts-based, client-centred interventions to support identity development earlier in childhood, aiming to address disparities in traditional methods and extend to more diverse populations. Overall, the research demonstrates the value of expressive arts therapy in fostering authentic self-expression and emotional growth during critical developmental stages.

Although the research is drawn on children from 7-9, it still provides me with some inspiring ideas about using art to enhance children's development of identity. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a child-centred, intermodal Expressive Art therapy approach in fostering key aspects of identity, such as self-expression, self-awareness, and self-efficacy. From the findings, I learn about how to incorporate visual arts, movement and play to facilitate early identity exploration and emotional development, which aligns with my goal of designing developmentally appropriate, art-based interventions for preschool-aged children. The idea of using art-based experiences to create a safe, supportive environment for young children has inspired me, I could also think about how to extend my experiences on one another to create a more complete research.

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Literature - Nurturing Creativity: The Role of Art Education in Fostering Children's Expression and Holistic Development 

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Literature - Nurturing Creativity: The Role of Art Education in Fostering Children's Expression and Holistic Development 

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The study explores art education's role in fostering creative expression and holistic development in preschool children. It highlights the importance of modern, strategic pedagogical approaches that encourage active, individual artistic exploration rather than more technical skill acquisition.

It emphasises that educators' competencies are crucial, which means that we need to undertake initiatives, motivate children, and foster cooperative relationships within educational groups. Additionally, environmental factors such as natural, challenge-based outdoor spaces can enhance children's artistic activities by providing opportunities for construction, modification, and exploration.

This article relates to my PI's research topic by emphasising the role of creative art experiences in shaping a child's identity. It highlights that art education during early childhood is not only about developing technical skills but also serves as a powerful medium for children to express their inner experiences, attitudes, and emotions, which are fundamental components of identity formation.

The discussion on the importance of strategic pedagogical approaches and the use of portfolios aligns with your goal of creating deliberate, meaningful, creative art experiences that support children's self-exploration and understanding.

The article has mentioned that the use of protfolios is discussed as an effective method for documenting and monitoring children's artistic progress over time, enabling tailored support and reflection. I think it would be effective for me to undertake this strategy in my PI research.

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Drawing and crafting experiences

The use of music and dance in group time

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One of the most important reason of choosing this topic is because that I am interested and confident about using creative arts experiences in my practitioner inquiry project. In my past placement experiences, I tried to implement many different kinds of creative art experiences. Throughout these processes, I observed that each child revealed their own distinct personality and inclinations in their creative work, consistently demonstrating talents that surprise me. Children always have a uniquely individual perspective on both the world and creative art. This profoundly altered my perception of preschool-aged children and deepen my understanding of my roles as an early childhood teacher - to respect children as capable individuals, help them discover their interests, and to support their development based upon these foundations.

Another reason is that I have observed that some children, due to personality traits or language barriers, do not readily choose to actively participate or showcase themselves in various activiities. Creative art experiences can serve as a medium to encourage them to express their thoughts quietly. By looking at their artwork, I can observe a lot from them. For children from multilingual backgrounds, creative art activities also enable them to overcome language barriers, fostering greater confidence in presenting themselves as well as encourage peer interactions.

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I am curious about how children at a preschool age develop their understanding of themselves and their identity as individuals.

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How can I use creative art experiences to encourage children's (3-5) development of identity? 

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How can I use creative art experiences to encourage children's (3-5) development of identity? 

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How can I use visual art experiences to encourage multilingual children's (3 -5) self expression? 

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How can I use visual art experiences to encourage multilingual children's (3 -5) self expression? 