THE PROJECT “STAR-LITTLE STAR”. STRENGTHENING 4-AND 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN’S SOCIO-EMOTIONAL AND COLLABORATIVE SKILLS THROUGH SINGING AND REPRESENTING A SONG VISUALLY AND DRAMATICALLY
Abstract
The present study explores the attitudes of early childhood children towards activities that combine the arts on the occasion of an original song and its visual and dramatic representation. The project was carried out in the context of a nursery school/kindergarten children’s (N=20) participation in a song contest that was conducted by “Make a wish” of Greece, an organization that aims to support children who are struggling with serious illnesses. The aims of the study were to cultivate children’s collaborative and social-emotional skills, to entertain them and to provide opportunities to encourage their creativity. The project was carried out in 4 stages: a) creating an original song on the theme of a star that makes wishes come true, b) young children learning to sing the song, c) recording the song in the studio, d) visual representation of the song working individually and in groups, d) creating of a video presentation that included the young children's paintings with the song as background music, d) dramatization of the song and its performance at the summer celebration of the school. The data were collected through observation, diary notes and children's products. General findings show that the young children were given opportunities to cultivate their creativity through their engagement in the activities, have fun, cooperate with each other, feel part of a larger group and cultivate social-emotional skills such as empathy, self-confidence, learning to accept the criticism of others and respect others’ views.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v10i2.1767
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