Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 3.4: Contribute to enabling play environments
Learning outcome: Be able to plan and lead opportunities which encourage children’s engagement in expressive arts and design
Assessment criteria: Lead opportunities which encourage children’s expressive art and design
In the previous section, we looked at planning opportunities which encourage children’s expressive art and design.
For this assessment criterion, you will be required to lead opportunities in this learning area. This may be achieved by implementing the activity plans that you have made previously but could also involve encouraging expression on an ad hoc basis during your day-to-day practice.
Practitioners should allow children to explore activities and have the freedom to be expressive. For example, if children are mark-making with paintbrushes and a child puts the brush down and starts finger painting, the practitioner should encourage this form of expression rather than halt it.
Although children benefit from having the freedom to play and explore on their own, sometimes they may reach an impasse where it is impossible to master a skill without intervention from an adult (see Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development). Practitioners should observe children and recognise when they may require help to get to the next stage of development.