Fostering young Children’s Curiosity through Creative encounters

Description

‘How I Wonder What You Are’ is a small-scale study exploring young children’s engagement with creative encounters in a museum in a town in the North West. In this conference paper we discuss the learning, social and exploratory potential of open-ended arts-based workshops for children aged 0-4 and their families. We demonstrate a process of engaging children with open-ended resources and spaces in a museum setting to become co-producers of knowledge and the arts through workshops which are linked to well-known nursery rhymes and stories, arts concepts and specific museum exhibitions at the time of delivery. The workshops link early years practice with museum spaces and set up exploratory encounters to spark curiosity and foster exploration through the senses. Through the work produced by the children and playful interactions along the process, we illustrate co-creation, co-design and reflections on children’s contribution to understanding museum spaces as sites for interaction and community building in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic where the wellbeing of young children and mothers, in particular, has been overlooked. We also examine the potential of children’s participation and co-production as a driver of change in museum practice and offerings where children are seen as agents rather than receivers of content and learning.

Period	12 Jul 2022
Event title	Children and Childhoods Conference 2022
Event type	Conference
Location	Ipswich, United KingdomShow on map