Expressive Arts and Design is a joyful and essential area of early childhood education. It supports children’s creativity, imagination, emotional expression, and ability to communicate ideas in a variety of ways. At our nursery, we place great importance on giving children rich, meaningful experiences that allow them to explore artistic media, develop confidence, and discover their own unique creative voice. Whether through painting, music, storytelling, dance, construction, or imaginative play, this area nurtures curiosity, encourages experimentation, and supports children’s holistic development.
Creativity is not simply a skill—it is a mindset. It helps children problem-solve, think independently, and approach challenges with curiosity and resilience. By providing a warm, inspiring environment and sensitive guidance, we support children in developing the creative foundations they need for future learning and self-expression.
Our setting is intentionally designed to encourage exploration, imagination, and artistic expression. We offer well-resourced areas where children can access a wide range of materials freely and independently. These areas are calm, inviting, and filled with resources that prompt investigation rather than restrict it.
Children have access to:
Paints, crayons, chalks, and pastels
Clay, playdough, and modelling materials
Natural loose parts such as leaves, stones, shells, and sticks
Collage materials including fabric, paper, ribbons, and recycled items
Musical instruments from various cultures
Role-play areas with costumes, props, and real-life items
Construction sets that allow creative design and problem-solving
By offering open-ended materials rather than fixed outcomes, we encourage children to explore freely, make choices, and take ownership of their creations.
Children are naturally curious about textures, colours, sounds, and shapes, and we nurture this curiosity by offering sensory-rich experiences. In early childhood, exploration comes before technique. Children learn by doing, touching, mixing, building, and experimenting.
We encourage them to:
Mix colours and notice how they change
Use their fingers, brushes, sponges, or natural tools to paint
Build structures with blocks, recycled materials, or natural items
Experiment with clay or dough to form shapes and sculptures
Explore materials that can be torn, cut, crumpled, or glued
Practitioners observe closely and provide gentle guidance when needed, modelling techniques or offering vocabulary such as “smooth”, “rough”, “soft”, “sticky”, “bright”, and “patterned”. These interactions develop children’s confidence while still allowing them freedom to explore creatively.
Imaginative play is a core part of Expressive Arts and Design because it allows children to tell stories, express emotions, and explore ideas in a safe and playful way. Our role-play areas change regularly to reflect children’s interests, whether they are pretending to run a café, travel on a bus, visit a doctor’s surgery, or explore a fantasy world.
We use open-ended props—not just costumes—to inspire storytelling. Fabrics, bags, hats, clipboards, pots, phones, and everyday household items invite children to create their own narratives. Adults may join the play as co-participants when appropriate, modelling language, encouraging cooperation, and extending storylines. However, we always respect children’s ownership of their play, allowing their imagination to lead the way.
Role play supports early literacy, communication, emotional development, and social understanding. It allows children to explore different roles, problem-solve collaboratively, and express themselves creatively.
Music is a powerful way for children to explore rhythm, expression, and cultural diversity. We provide a wide variety of instruments, including drums, shakers, bells, tambourines, chime bars, and instruments from different cultures. Children enjoy opportunities to create their own sounds, play alongside others, and explore tempo, pitch, and volume.
Regular group singing sessions help build confidence and support language development. Children learn familiar nursery rhymes, traditional songs, and songs from different cultures. Singing also strengthens memory and promotes shared enjoyment.
Dance and movement activities allow children to express themselves physically. We support children in responding to music through dance, experimenting with how their bodies can move, and creating their own movement patterns. This helps build coordination, confidence, and physical awareness, as well as emotional regulation.
In our nursery, we value the process of creation far more than the final outcome. Young children learn best when they are free to explore materials without pressure to create something “perfect” or recognisable. We celebrate their efforts, curiosity, and experimentation, fostering a positive sense of achievement.
Our practitioners focus on:
Asking open-ended questions (“Tell me about your picture”)
Encouraging children to describe their choices (“Why did you use that colour?”)
Valuing individuality and avoiding templates or adult-dictated designs
Displaying children’s artwork respectfully, showing pride in their creativity
This approach builds confidence and helps children see themselves as capable and creative thinkers.
Expressive Arts and Design supports essential early thinking skills that reach far beyond the creative subject itself. When children build, create, design, or compose, they are engaging in problem-solving, planning, and evaluation.
For example, children may:
Work out how to make a tower stable
Decide what materials will stick together
Experiment with sound combinations
Try different ways to represent their ideas
Adjust their work when they encounter a challenge
Practitioners support this by offering prompts such as:
“What could you try next?”
“How might we make it stronger?”
“What would happen if…?”
“Does this look the way you want it to?”
This encourages resilience, perseverance, and flexible thinking.
Expressive arts also play an important role in helping children appreciate diversity. We use real-life artworks, music, traditional crafts, and dance from a wide range of cultures to inspire children and broaden their understanding of the world.
Children might explore:
Patterns found in African textiles
Music from around the world
Traditional celebrations and their artistic customs
Stories and artwork from different cultures and communities
These meaningful experiences support children in developing respect for others and an appreciation of global creativity.
Every child has the right to express themselves creatively. Some may thrive with paint and colour; others may prefer music, construction, imaginative play, or small-world storytelling. We ensure that our environment caters to all learning styles and that our practitioners offer sensitive support tailored to each child’s needs.
For children who may be hesitant or less confident, adults gently introduce materials, model creative play, and celebrate small steps toward expression. For children who are highly creative or advanced in a particular area, we provide extended challenges, new media, or opportunities to develop skills further.
Families play a key role in nurturing creativity. We work closely with parents to share children’s artwork, photos, and stories. We encourage families to continue creative activities at home—through music, drawing, building, dressing up, or exploring nature—and provide ideas to support this.
We celebrate children’s creative achievements with families and welcome contributions from home, such as crafts, photos, or cultural items that enrich our shared learning.
Expressive Arts and Design nurtures imagination, curiosity, individuality, and emotional expression. At our nursery, we create an inspiring, welcoming environment where children feel safe to explore, experiment, and express themselves freely. Whether they are painting, singing, dancing, building, sculpting, or role-playing, children develop confidence, creativity, and a deep appreciation for the arts. These early experiences lay the foundations for future learning, communication, and personal development, while helping children discover the joy of creating and the power of their own ideas.