Mona Sakr

Creativity and Making in Early Childhood brings together practice and research insights on creativity, to offer new perspectives on what creativity is, how it manifests in early childhood education and what can be done to support it. Each chapter includes practitioners’ own experiences and looks within these observations and reflections to highlight key questions and challenges. Insights and perspectives are drawn from research in order to engage deeply with these challenges and to develop future practice in early childhood education. Particular focus is on creativity as physical 'making' processes. Topics covered include: - children’s developing identities - sharing and social interactions - how time, choice and physical environments influence young children’s creativity - instructions, resourcing and expectations of creativity in the early childhood setting Practical learning features guiding students through the book include: research spotlight sections introducing readers to key pieces of research, questions to aid reflection on experiences in relation to relevant theory, summaries and tasks for the reader designed to deepen thinking. This text is an excellent resource for undergraduate students in early childhood and education, as well as postgraduate students and practitioners who have returned to study.

Through art children make sense of their experiences and the world around them. Drawing, painting, collage and modelling are open-ended and playful processes through which children engage in physical exploration, aesthetic decision-making, identity construction and social understanding. As digital technologies become increasingly prevalent in the lives of young children, there is a pressing need to understand how digital technologies shape important experiences in early childhood, including early childhood art. Mona Sakr shows the need to consider how particular dimensions of the art-making process are changed by the use of digital technologies and what can be done by parents, practitioners and designers to enable children to adopt playful and creative practices in their interactions with digital technologies. Incorporating different theoretical perspectives, including social semiotics and posthumanism, and drawing on various research studies, this book highlights how children engage with different facets of art-making with digital technologies including: remix and mash-up; distributed ownership; imagined audiences and changed sensory and social interactions.

Through art children make sense of their experiences and the world around them. Drawing, painting, collage and modelling are open-ended and playful processes through which children engage in physical exploration, aesthetic decision-making, identity construction and social understanding. As digital technologies become increasingly prevalent in the lives of young children, there is a pressing need to understand how digital technologies shape important experiences in early childhood, including early childhood art. Mona Sakr shows the need to consider how particular dimensions of the art-making process are changed by the use of digital technologies and what can be done by parents, practitioners and designers to enable children to adopt playful and creative practices in their interactions with digital technologies. Incorporating different theoretical perspectives, including social semiotics and posthumanism, and drawing on various research studies, this book highlights how children engage with different facets of art-making with digital technologies including: remix and mash-up; distributed ownership; imagined audiences and changed sensory and social interactions.

This is practical, research-informed, and reflective guide that supports those working with or training to work with babies under two. Divided into three sections: Environments, Interactions, and Relationships, it explores and introduces students and practitioners to everything from creative provocations, outdoor learning, and Forest School for babies to mindful interactions, joyful care routines, and co-regulation. The book also covers team dynamics, attachment, working with families, and inter-professional working. Rooted in contemporary early childhood research and informed by real-world practice, this book equips educators with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to create emotionally secure, developmentally rich environments where babies—and those who care for them—can thrive. Each chapter includes research spotlights, bulleted introductions and summaries, lists key concepts and key ideas related to practice, reflective questions, and suggestions for further reading. This book honours the profound responsibility and joy of working with babies and aims to raise the status of the baby room as a space of learning, care, and inspiration. Additional support in the form of workshops and a weekly blog and podcast that complement the book can be found at www.babyrooms-inspiringleaders.co.uk.

This is practical, research-informed, and reflective guide that supports those working with or training to work with babies under two. Divided into three sections: Environments, Interactions, and Relationships, it explores and introduces students and practitioners to everything from creative provocations, outdoor learning, and Forest School for babies to mindful interactions, joyful care routines, and co-regulation. The book also covers team dynamics, attachment, working with families, and inter-professional working. Rooted in contemporary early childhood research and informed by real-world practice, this book equips educators with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to create emotionally secure, developmentally rich environments where babies—and those who care for them—can thrive. Each chapter includes research spotlights, bulleted introductions and summaries, lists key concepts and key ideas related to practice, reflective questions, and suggestions for further reading. This book honours the profound responsibility and joy of working with babies and aims to raise the status of the baby room as a space of learning, care, and inspiration. Additional support in the form of workshops and a weekly blog and podcast that complement the book can be found at www.babyrooms-inspiringleaders.co.uk.

"Bravo! This book brilliantly meets the moment." – Julie Nicholson, Mills College and Co-Director, Center for Equity in Early Childhood, USA"A lovely insightful exploration of leadership through a social justice lens." – Lord Victor Adebowale, UKAcross the world, organisations in early childhood education (ECE) face major organisational challenges, including staff recruitment, retention and wellbeing, in the context of sectoral fragmentation and under-investment. These issues impact negatively on the experience of children, staff, parents and the wider community. Social leadership is a new model of leadership that aims to address these challenges by refocusing leadership through a much stronger social justice lens and a community. It highlights the significance of warm and inclusive modes of leadership as a means of driving positive change. Based on in-depth interviews with renowned global leaders in ECE, this book provides an introduction to the six-element model of social leadership and shows how it can be developed and implemented by organisations, training bodies and educational institutions. Written in accessible language and illustrated with original international case studies the book begins a much-needed dialogue about how we can work from within ECE to overcome the workforce and sectoral hurdles we face.

"Bravo! This book brilliantly meets the moment." – Julie Nicholson, Mills College and Co-Director, Center for Equity in Early Childhood, USA"A lovely insightful exploration of leadership through a social justice lens." – Lord Victor Adebowale, UKAcross the world, organisations in early childhood education (ECE) face major organisational challenges, including staff recruitment, retention and wellbeing, in the context of sectoral fragmentation and under-investment. These issues impact negatively on the experience of children, staff, parents and the wider community. Social leadership is a new model of leadership that aims to address these challenges by refocusing leadership through a much stronger social justice lens and a community. It highlights the significance of warm and inclusive modes of leadership as a means of driving positive change. Based on in-depth interviews with renowned global leaders in ECE, this book provides an introduction to the six-element model of social leadership and shows how it can be developed and implemented by organisations, training bodies and educational institutions. Written in accessible language and illustrated with original international case studies the book begins a much-needed dialogue about how we can work from within ECE to overcome the workforce and sectoral hurdles we face.

Critically examining the fears that commonly surround young children's play involving digital technologies, this book seeks to address each of the negatives and present the positive possibilities of technology when it comes to early childhood. Using observations of children in play and cutting-edge research, this book will empower students and build their confidence so that they are able to challenge perceptions and think creatively about how they can use technology. Each chapter includes case studies, research spotlights, activities and annotated further reading to help students develop their critical thinking, deepen their research and connect theory with practice.

Critically examining the fears that commonly surround young children's play involving digital technologies, this book seeks to address each of the negatives and present the positive possibilities of technology when it comes to early childhood. Using observations of children in play and cutting-edge research, this book will empower students and build their confidence so that they are able to challenge perceptions and think creatively about how they can use technology. Each chapter includes case studies, research spotlights, activities and annotated further reading to help students develop their critical thinking, deepen their research and connect theory with practice.

Creativity and Making in Early Childhood brings together practice and research insights on creativity, to offer new perspectives on what creativity is, how it manifests in early childhood education and what can be done to support it. Each chapter includes practitioners’ own experiences and looks within these observations and reflections to highlight key questions and challenges. Insights and perspectives are drawn from research in order to engage deeply with these challenges and to develop future practice in early childhood education. Particular focus is on creativity as physical 'making' processes. Topics covered include: - children’s developing identities - sharing and social interactions - how time, choice and physical environments influence young children’s creativity - instructions, resourcing and expectations of creativity in the early childhood setting Practical learning features guiding students through the book include: research spotlight sections introducing readers to key pieces of research, questions to aid reflection on experiences in relation to relevant theory, summaries and tasks for the reader designed to deepen thinking. This text is an excellent resource for undergraduate students in early childhood and education, as well as postgraduate students and practitioners who have returned to study.