Do we provide formal schooling too soon?  My view is we do!  It is an interesting debate.

I read an article in the Times this week on very young nursery age children in France do not begin formal reading until the age of seven, they just learn letters and sounds and how to write their name.

  The French have a much more relaxed attitude with an emphasis on developing their social skills, how to organize their thoughts and learn how to speak well and communicate verbally.

This makes sense because in order to read, children need to hear the sounds.

  The child learns to adopt a point of view and begins to reason and is then capable of counting and classifying. This is based on the French logic that if children can speak clearly they can think clearly and so ask questions and hypothesize; they become analytical thinkers and intellectuals as they become adults.

I read in the same newspaper that a government advisor announced ‘Toddlers with bad speech are doomed to fail as adults.’

The world renowned pre– schools in Reggio Emilia challenge the notion of formality too soon and places emphasis in creativity and dialogue as an effective learning process. 

It is so easy to blame poor teaching methods and teachers.  I believe our problems go so much deeper than this about childhood and learning.  Much has been achieved in the UK in Early Years but the culture of testing is concerning.  For me really valuing childhood in itself is crucial.  A time to be savoured, enjoyed and develop at readiness albeit at different times makes for a sound maxim for life!

Let me leave you with this thought. “And the first step as you know is always what matters most, particularly when we are dealing with those who are young and tender.  That is the time when they are taking shape and when any impression we choose to make leaves a permanent mark.” Plato (428–348)

Our artists support the children and staff in our long-term projects as they bring an extra dimension to the Centre. For me they are the icing on the cake, there to challenge, provoke and create the thinking ripples for children to problem solve and explore in a collaborative culture.

One of the characteristics which define us as human beings is our creative nature and the ability to make meaningful connections.  Some of our children as young as they are can be amazingly philosophical; they make profound statements and are able to ask important questions, they never seem to be phased by adults!  Oh, at my time of life I am still learning from them, they are always full of surprises, so imaginative and so generous with their humour!

Working in a creative environment helps children to see what they look at, hear what they listen to and feel what they touch.  Our project work with the artists Rosie and Kirstie allows them to see beyond familiar boundaries and horizons and hopefully as they grow older develop a tolerance for life’s uncertainties.

December Newsletter

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November Newsletter

Children’s drawings never cease to inspire me; they provide us with a real insight to their stage of development, a tangible record of their thinking and understanding of the world around them.  Their first scribbles as we call them go on to portray their representation of the visual world.

I recently read ‘A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney’ by Martin Gayford.  For me Hockney is one of the greatest living artists, his work is inspiring.  I mention Hockney in the context of children’s drawing because he talked about the importance of drawing in his own life.  He said the making of marks had always appealed to him from a very early age and he always found the art of seeing as enjoyable.  He goes on to say that drawing makes you see things clearer and clearer, the image passing through you in a physiological way to your brain and to your memory, where it stays and is then transmitted into your hands.

David Hockney comments on drawing to be a profound experience.  ‘Children usually want to draw what’s in front of them, don’t they? I’ll make you a picture of a house or people, or something.  That suggests a deep, deep desire to depict.’

For me, it is a privilege to be witness to children drawing.  It shows the child as a competent learner with rich potential.  As practitioners, parents and those interested in children let us respect and take the ideas of our young and tender children seriously.

‘Once children are helped to perceive themselves as authors and inventors, once they are helped to see to discover the pleasures of inquiry, their motivation and interest explode.’ ( Malaguzzi 1998)