Andri Savva

Play and the Practice of Art: Concepts, Characteristics and Examples in Early-Years Art Education

Andri Savva – Department of Education, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

Abstract:

The presentation is related to art play and its role in learning. The main focus is to describe through theory and practices the role of play in art and art education. The presenter approaches the notion of play as an element of artistic activity and as a model of creative process. The notions of play and art is served as a point of reference to describe and exemplify through practices, the following characteristics: (a) Play and playfulness b) Play with materials/play with ideas, (c) Play and reality/Play and fantasy. In doing so, the researcher uses documentation to report on methods used to enable student teachers and teachers in early years settings to incorporate play in art learning and discusses characteristics of play. The role of the teacher, materials and spaces are emphasized, and proposals are made in relation to approaches and strategies used for play and creative art learning in early years education.