The proposed revised EYFS continues to have at its core the following three characteristics of effective teaching and learning:
• playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’;
• active learning – children keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements; and
• creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
Creative practice in early years supports all of these.
These characteristics must be adhered to through the ‘prime’ and ‘specific’ areas of learning and as research informs us children learn holistically. So creativity needs to be embedded across all areas of learning and development.
The EYFS recognises that every child is ‘unique’ and that every child’s learning journey is different. Therefore, practitioners need to be creative in all the work they do with young children to ensure each child reaches their full potential.
The Creative Partnerships approach described creativity as the wider ability to question, make connections, innovate, problem solve and reflect critically, and recognized that these skills are demanded by today’s employers.
They stated that… “Creative learning empowers young people to imagine how the world could be different and gives them the confidence and motivation to make positive change happen. This helps young people to engage with their education and to achieve.”
Therefore, the ‘new’ EYFS and Creative Partnerships share a similar pedagogy and recognise that an environment that values creativity and expressiveness will equip our children for the future.
More information on the Creative Partnerships programmes: