This April, we brought Energiser Fund partners together at the Pen Green Centre for Children and their Families for two days of learning around early years creativity.  

This event focused on how music, movement and co-creation can support children to develop. Practitioners explored ideas together and discussed their individual practices and approaches. 

Learning through doing

Day one featured an interactive session led by Turned On Its Head, exploring voice, pedagogy (the theory of teaching) and co-creation. The session focused on co-creation and exploring how to get early years children to work together. 

Practitioners used simple objects like pillows and bean bags to choreograph group movements, techniques used to spark creativity and in early years settings.

Alongside the activities, there was space to reflect, ask questions and think about how these approaches could translate into their own work.

Sharing practice and research

On day two, colleagues from Pen Green Centre shared research into movement-based practice, including case studies of children who had taken part in dance sessions.

These examples showed the importance of dance and physical movement outside of sports to help young children develop. The case studies demonstrated how these sessions allowed children who have experienced trauma or not had their emotional needs met to open up and express themselves through movement.

Practitioners from different organisations agreed that this research helped to inform their own approach and that sharing their practices made them feel less isolated in their work. 

Experiencing creativity

This was followed by an experiential session from Cocoon, which focused on the role of adult attention and presence, encouraging practitioners to reflect on how environments and relationships shape early learning.

A workshop with Take Art explored children’s creativity through open-ended materials, asking practitioners to start from observation of children’s play and build understanding from there. The session connected hands-on experimentation with wider questions about how creativity is supported in early years education.

Later, Dr Susan Young reflected on ideas of “deep learning” in early childhood, drawing on examples from across the programme to consider how adults can support imagination, collaboration and critical thinking in young children.

The day closed with an Open Space session facilitated by Groundswell Arts, where practitioners proposed and led their own discussions, sharing questions and reflections from across the two days.

Building connections

Across both days it was clear that there is huge value in bringing practitioners together to share practice and learn from one another. 

As well as sharing new and innovative ways to spark creativity in early years practice, we also built a community, where organisations feel more supported and understood in their work with young children.