Reflection on Creative Learning in the Early Years
This journey with Creative Learning in the Early Years, an Arts Council of Wales project in collaboration with Meithrin Drenewydd, has been both unexpected and deeply rewarding.We began with one plan and ended up following an entirely different path. This shift emerged organically, driven in large part by the exceptional nature of the nursery. The staff are not only dedicated and kind, but deeply invested in the wellbeing and growth of their learners. Rather than follow a fixed framework, we embraced the creative habits of mind as a flexible, living approach. Working alongside the staff, we began to explore how these habits connect to the children’s transition into big school, using them as a shared language that reflects the way all learners grow and adapt.With early years, you must be ready to play and follow where the learning leads. Sometimes you invite a game, and sometimes you discover one unfolding beside you. Sometimes you witness its evolution. I found myself taking Batman to the fairy hairdressers, stirring up witch’s dinners, building bridges, and finding joy in the small wins: a child improving with scissors, moving a plank confidently, or simply remembering my name.
We used minimal resources, mostly recycled materials, and were outdoors every single day. We played with bubbles. We made space.To mark this journey, I created a small book for the learners: a way to capture their experience in their language. A companion for the transitions ahead and a reflection of the life they are already that they are constantly working and learning.
Naomi Heath 