How can parents more clearly understand what's behind shifts in motivation so that they may preserve their gifted children's joy and kindle a lifelong love of the arts? A shift takes place when intrinsic motivation gives way to extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is desire kindled within. One who is intrinsically motivated is deeply engaged…

For many children, their artistic gifts may not be apparent until opportunity or exposure provides a spark. That's why parents and caregivers must understand the many ways they can ignite sparks, nurture artistic talents, and provide opportunities for gifted children to explore the arts. In many communities, opportunities outside of school abound.…

The arts had a definite place in ancient Greek education and played an important part in children's physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth. Education was based on the development of the whole person. Gymnastics, drawing, music, and poetry were used to increase physical strength, moral character, and a sense of the aesthetic. Music,…

This book explores how young children learn to draw and draw to learn, at home and school. It provides support for practitioners in developing a pedagogy of drawing in Art and Design and across the curriculum and provide advice for parents about how to make sense of their children's drawings. This book is enlivened with the real drawings of seven…

Children are born artists, and artistic talent emerges from the interplay of proclivity, cultural enrichment, and nurturance. Intended to demystify art for parents and teachers and to help them understand what the art experience is like for the child or adolescent, this book discusses visual art concepts in simple terms and presents art as a…

This booklet provides parents with practical ways to introduce their children to the arts with the continuous message to encourage children to imagine. This book revises and updates the earlier publication "Three Rs for the '90s." Following the foreword by Robert Coles and an introduction by Jane Alexander, the chapters include: (1) "Dance and…

This curriculum framework presents a philosophy of arts education, synthesizes current research, and sets learning standards for students from kindergarten through 12th grade in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The curriculum framework's core concept is that experience in the creative process is essential for all learners, and that, in the arts,…