Exploring current arts practice in kindergartens and preparatory classrooms

Abstract

The arts are an important area of development for young children in their early years. By engaging with arts activities, young children are able to use their senses to explore the world. This paper reports on current arts practice in two kindergartens and two preparatory classrooms in Queensland, Australia. All sites are located in neighbouring suburbs. Findings reveal children in kindergarten are exposed to an arts-rich environment. In preparatory classrooms, few examples of arts activities could be observed, with children mostly accessing only one weekly 30-minute music lesson with a specialist teacher. Arts practice in classrooms was related to each teacher's philosophy of arts education, and the amount of arts education exposure they received during teacher education. Findings bring to the surface the tensions between kindergarten and preparatory education, and highlight the importance of adequate arts education in early childhood teacher education programs.