Kindergarten

Experiences with the arts begin for children long before they enter kindergarten. Pre-school play and other experiential learning are important sources of ideas for students as they engage in arts education activities.

Core Curriculum emphasizes the importance of kindergarten by identifying it as the starting point of a developmental continuum that extends to the end of Grade 12. In order to provide a solid foundation for the twelve grades that follow, the kindergarten program needs to reflect the important understandings within each area of study.

As the kindergarten program is taught through the structure of an integrated day rather than separate subject area time slots, it is critical for kindergarten teachers to understand all strands and components of the Elementary Level arts education program. This understanding facilitates the integration that is central to the kindergarten program.

Learning Objectives

Arts education objectives for kindergarten students have been included in this curriculum (see the following sections). In addition, a sample unit has been provided to demonstrate how each of the strands may be integrated in a kindergarten classroom (refer to CD-ROM or to Saskatchewan Learning's website).

Checklists:

Kindergarten Dance Learning Objectives Checklist Kindergarten Drama Learning Objectives Checklist Kindergarten Music Learning Objectives Checklist Kindergarten Visual Art Learning Objectives Checklist

Kindergarten Arts Education Learning Centres

Some ideas for learning centres follow:

• Provide articles of clothing and curious objects to inspire dramatic play.
• Learning centres might have music keyboards and recordings with headphones for individual playing and listening activities.
• Include pictures of Saskatchewan and Canadian dancers, actors, musicians, and visual artists. Ensure that both genders and a range of cultures are represented in the pictures. For example, images of a male contemporary dancer may be preferable to the more common image of a female ballet dancer to help encourage less stereotypical perceptions of dancers.
• Include examples of different styles of visual art in the centre as well as displaying images of the students' own work prominently around the classroom.
• Include storybooks about dancers, musicians, dramatic artists, and visual artists.