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The Arts

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The ECIPs are designed to broadly represent developmentally appropriate skills in the Arts domain. These skills help children explore a variety of ways to view and understand art and culture from around the world.

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About the Arts domain

“The arts” include theater, dance, visual art, media arts, and music. They also include written and spoken poetry and storytelling. Participating in the arts provides opportunities for self-expression, sensory experiences and emotional regulation that can help people cultivate skills and the lifelong pursuit of artistic and creative endeavors.¹^,²^,³ Research indicates that engaging in certain artistic activities like drawing and music can support mood improvements, reductions in stress, and emotional regulation in children and adults.¹^,²^,³

Exploration of the arts begins early. The ECIPs are designed to broadly represent developmentally appropriate skills in the Arts domain. These skills help children explore a variety of ways to view and understand art and culture from around the world. Children benefit across domains concurrently by engaging in artistic practices.

Artistic skills like sewing and drawing engage the fine muscle development necessary for day-to-day living. Children develop hand-eye coordination through tasks like striking an instrument with a mallet or drumstick and other exercises that engage their interest. The more interested the child is in what they are doing, the more likely they will gain coordination skills through repeated engagement in the activity.

The Arts domain includes two components:

Component A1-2: Exploring the Arts
Component A3-4: Using the Arts to Express Ideas and Emotions

The subcomponents and indicators identified for the ages of birth through kindergarten entry address the specific expectations across the developmental spectrum.

Infant learning is deeply tied to movement and exploration through their senses. Artistic stimulation at this stage primarily happens through viewing art in their environment, viewing and hearing books about art, artists, and culture, hearing music, tapping rhythm, early exploration with appropriate instruments, rhythmic or controlled movement, and appropriate creative expression.
The indicators for toddlers include exploration with isolated art-making skills, for example, lacing a string through a bead, singing a melody, tapping a rhythm, or creative dress-up.
The indicators for preschoolers focus on how children intentionally use the arts, develop the vocabulary to describe art they see around them, and begin to combine artistic elements.

Early childhood artistic expression should be authentic to the child at their developmental stage. Its focus is on developing the emerging skills a child uses within the art form and not about following directions to produce an end product. The child should have an abundance of opportunities to practice and build the individual skills needed to participate in an art form. The child must also be given the chance to develop individual skills, separate from other skills, before combining them. For example, a child should have opportunities to practice clapping a simple rhythm alone before being asked to pair the rhythm with a melody.

Depending on familial, cultural, and community values, development may look different for different children. Early childhood professionals have an important responsibility to learn from the child’s family about the family’s cultural and community values. Early childhood professionals and caregivers share responsibility for communicating their expectations and goals for individual children.

The ECIPs Arts domain follows the Minnesota Academic Standards: Kindergarten to prepare young learners for success later in school. The guidelines are written broadly to provide a foundation for a lifelong pursuit of arts and creativity, cultural contributions and recognition, and success using a wide variety of tools.

Components A1-2: Exploring the Arts

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Subcomponent	0-1 Year	1-2 Years	2-3 Years	3-4 Years	4-5 Years	K Alignment
A1. Understanding Differences Child distinguishes differences within and across artistic experiences.	A1.1 Attends to differences (e.g., contrast of light/dark, loud/quiet).	A1.2 Chooses to engage with a specific object, toy, or experience.	A1.3 Engages with a variety of artistic materials and experiences (e.g., gluing, drawing, or singing).	A1.4 Uses art-related vocabulary when discussing different artistic experiences (e.g., a stage, an easel, or a song).	A1.5 Describes differences in artistic experiences using art-related vocabulary (e.g., "I paint with a paintbrush. I draw with a crayon").	1.0.2.2.2 Demonstrate different locomotor and non-locomotor movements. 1.0.4.7.1 Identify movements using dance terminology. 1.0.4.8.1 Describe a movement that was observed in a dance. 2.0.3.5.1 Identify different ways media artworks are presented. 2.0.4.7.1 Identify components (such as sound, lighting, sequence, mood) in media artworks. 3.0.3.6.1 Make a musical choice while singing, playing instruments, or moving to explore the effects of musical elements. 3.0.4.7.1 Identify musical opposites while listening to and interacting with a variety of music. 4.0.2.4.2 Identify different types of sounds and movements in a guided drama experience. 4.0.2.4.3 Describe different design and technical choices for a guided drama experience. 4.0.3.5.2 Use body, voice and imagination during a guided drama experience. 5.0.4.8.1 Describe and distinguish between images and real objects.
A2. Understanding Patterns Child understands patterns in artistic media (e.g., repeating sounds, gestures, and materials).	A2.1 Imitates sounds, motions, and gestures.	A2.2 Shows preference for familiar sounds, motions, and gestures.	A2.3 Copies artistic patterns (e.g., repeating sounds, gestures, and materials), with support.	A2.4 Adds onto their artistic patterns with sounds, music, motions, gestures, and materials.	A2.5 Creates their own artistic patterns while engaging in artistic experiences.	1.0.2.3.1 Improvise movement that starts and stops on cue. 1.0.4.7.2 Identify dance movements from a specific dance. 5.0.3.6.1 Identify artwork based on a theme or concept using artistic foundations.

Components A3-4: Using the Arts to Express Ideas and Emotions

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Subcomponent	0-1 Year	1-2 Years	2-3 Years	3-4 Years	4-5 Years	K Alignment
A3. Artistic Choice-making Child demonstrates engagement and choice in artistic experiences.	A3.1 Engages in artistic experiences (e.g., through song, music, or movement) with support from an adult.	A3.2 Uses different materials in different ways to create art (e.g., painting with a brush versus painting with fingers).	A3.3 Chooses to engage with artistic materials and experiences (e.g., paint, crayons, dramatic play, or music) when available.	A3.4 Demonstrates preference in artistic choices and expressions (e.g., colors or songs).	A3.5 Chooses to engage in artistic experiences with purpose (e.g., creating a picture for their caregiver) and describes artistic work when prompted.	1.0.2.2.1 Respond in movement to a stimulus/stimuli. 1.0.2.2.2 Demonstrate different locomotor and non-locomotor movements. 2.0.2.4.1 Make changes to the content of media artworks and share results. 3.0.3.6.1 Make a musical choice while singing, playing instruments, or moving to explore the effects of musical elements. 3.0.4.8.1 Identify which of two contrasting musical selections is preferred and tell why. 4.0.3.5.2 Use body, voice, and imagination during a guided drama experience. 5.0.2.2.2 Explore artistic ideas through intentional play. 5.0.2.4.1 Identify choices made in one’s original artwork. 5.0.4.8.2 Select and explain reasons for personal preference.
A4. Self-Expression Child uses art for innovation and self-expression within the context of their culture.	A4.1 Responds physically or vocally (e.g., vocalization, facial expression, bouncing, or clapping) to an artistic experience (e.g., music, songs, rhythm, color, or storytelling), with or without caregiver support.	A4.2 Shows different reactions (e.g., smiling, laughing, bouncing, or clapping) when exposed to a variety of artistic experiences, with or without caregiver support.	A4.3 Expresses emotions while engaging in artistic experiences.	A4.4 Shares thoughts, feelings, and knowledge while creating art and/or interacting with the arts.	A4.5 Creates artistic experiences that represent thoughts, feelings, experience, and knowledge.	1.0.2.3.2 Express an idea, feeling, or image through movement. 1.0.5.9.1 Make a personal connection to a dance or movement. 1.0.5.9.2 Describe how movement feels when dancing. 2.0.5.9.1 Use personal experiences in creating media artworks. 3.0.2.3.1 Choose a musical sound to share. 3.0.3.6.1 Make a musical choice while singing, playing instruments, or moving to explore the effects of musical elements. For example: High/low; loud/soft; fast/slow. 4.0.2.3.2 Express original ideas in dramatic play or a guided drama experience. 4.0.4.7.1 Express an emotional response in dramatic play or a guided drama experience. 5.0.2.2.2 Explore artistic ideas through intentional play. 5.0.5.9.1 Create art that tells a story about a life experience. 5.0.5.10.1 Recognize that all humans make art.

1.

Brown, E. D., Blumenthal, M. A., & Allen, A. A. (2022). The sound of self-regulation: Music program relates to an advantage for children at risk. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 60, 126–136.
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2.

Fancourt, D. & Finn, S. (2018). What is the evidence for the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. World Health Organization.
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3.

Winner, E. (2019). How art works: A psychological exploration. Oxford University Press, USA.
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The Arts

Components A1-2: Exploring the Arts

Components A3-4: Using the Arts to Express Ideas and Emotions

References

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