Early Childhood - Connecticut State Department of Education

Aesthetic & Physical Development Chapter 9
HELPFUL TERMS, continued
Small/Fine Motor Developmet Development of the muscles in the fingers, hands, wrists and arms.
Spatial Awareness An understanding of space, and movement within that space.
Tempo The speed of music: fast, slow or gradual.
The Arts The four visual and performing arts: dance, music, theatre and visual
arts.
AESTHETIC AND PHYSICAL DOMAINS
Young children learn through active exploration of their
environments. Curriculum must include both handson
and minds-on experiences. In early childhood
curriculum planning art, music, movement and drama
are woven together throughout projects, themes and
centers in the classroom. Engaging children’s senses,
using more than one avenue for learning, and physical
involvement allow young learners to make connections
with previous experiences and build bridges to new
learning. Whether performance standards are tied
to dance, music, movement, visual arts or physical
skills, the child is making decisions, solving problems,
communicating and representing. When early childhood
curriculum plans provide varied experiences that
acknowledge the aesthetic and physical developmental
domains, each child (with his or her learning style,
intelligence, culture, language and ability) is given an
opportunity to understand and represent his or her
learning.
“We know people truly understand something when
they can represent the knowledge in more than one way”
(Checkley, 1997). Early childhood educators in Reggio
Emilia observe and reflect on the “languages” of the
child. “Languages are the multiple ways in which the
child understands, interprets and represents his or her
learning. Each provides the child with an opportunity
to express him or her self. They are, in fact, drawing,
dancing, speaking, moving, singing and many more.
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Active use of these forms also paves the way for the
child to use verbal language, to read and to write”
(Edwards, Gandini and Forman, 1998). Teachers must
guide children in understanding their strengths and the
many avenues available for representing their learning.
Each of these disciplines (art, music, movement
and drama) offer children opportunities to express their
thoughts and abilities in ways that are unique to who
they are as learners. When teachers plan with aesthetic
and physical performance standards in mind children
are provided with:
• language to represent their thinking;
• opportunities to use more than one avenue
for learning;
• chances to collaborate and problem-solve
with peers;
• avenues for integrating their experiences;
• ways to communicate, in addition to their
verbal responses; and
• opportunities to think about their learning,
make decisions and connect information.
Although there are many connections, this guide
presents the aesthetic and physical domains as separate
disciplines, each with its own body of knowledge and
skills. The following chart outlines preschool development
in these domains and their connections with Connecticut’s
K-12 curriculum frameworks.