What your child is learning

In Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2, your child learns one or more of the arts: dance, drama, music and/or visual arts.

Your child

• learns and uses different elements and techniques of dance, drama, music, and/or visual arts (Language and Tools)
• creates and shares dance, drama, music, and/or visual arts works (Creative Expression)
• explores the roles, purposes, and meanings of the arts in their own lives, in the lives of their families, and in their communities (Understanding the Arts in Context)
• learns to question, analyze, and share personal ideas about dance, drama, music, and/or visual arts works. (Valuing the Arts)

These are the four essential learning areas in arts education.

How your child is assessed

Your child’s teacher will assess students on the four essential learning areas described in WHAT MY CHILD IS LEARNING. On the report card, your child’s progress will be evaluated in these four essential learning areas as represented in the following four categories:

• Language and Performance Skills (Visual Arts: Language and Tools): What dance, drama, music, and/or visual arts elements and techniques does your child know, understand, and use?
• Creative Expression: How does your child gather, organize, create, and share ideas in dance, drama, music, and/or visual arts? 
• Knowledge and Understanding of the Arts in Culture and Society: What different art forms, styles, and traditions does your child know and understand? What roles, purposes, and meanings of the arts can your child identify and talk about?
• Analysis and Communication: How does your child question, analyze, and share personal responses about dance, drama, music, and/or visual arts?

Resources

What resources are available for parents to help support their children’s learning in the arts?

At home:

• Listen to music, watch films, read books, check out internet sites, play games, and explore educational kits based on the arts.
• Observe and listen to your child to determine artistic interests.
• Provide a variety of available arts materials for your child (different papers, crayons, markers, paints, scissors, play dough, modelling clay, etc.). ,
• Provide spaces in your home for arts-based activities (e.g. painting/drawing table, easel, area to dance, listen to music, dress-up centre, etc.).
• Provide and encourage your child to listen to different kinds of music, various artists, the music of your cultural heritage and home, Canadian music, and music of others.
• Sing and dance with your child.
• Role-play with your child, dramatize books or songs, play with puppets.

At school:

• Be informed about what Arts subject areas are offered at your child’s school and ask questions about what your child is doing in arts education.
• Visit your child’s school to see students’ artwork displayed in the school halls or classrooms.  
• Encourage your child to participate in after school or extra-curricular arts opportunities offered at your school (e.g. lunch choir, after school drama clubs, Orff clubs, recorder clubs, art clubs, folk-dance groups, etc.).
• Attend school arts-based events such as musicals, art shows, open-house events, plays, dance performances etc. 
• Volunteer to help at arts-based activities and events at your child’s school.
• Accompany your child’s class on cultural and arts-based field trips. 

In the community:

• Attend local concerts, performances, art exhibits, plays
• Visit art galleries and museums
• Participate in cultural events like the many free activities that are part of the annual Culture Days in Manitoba.
• Take part in local festivals such as Winnipeg Folk Festival, Festival du Voyageur, Winnipeg International Children’s Festival, etc.
• Check out the many arts-based camps offered to children across Manitoba in the summer
• Offer your child music lessons, drama classes, dance lessons, or visual arts lessons offered at local arts venues and schools across Manitoba.

Music, Books, Films

• The Winnipeg Public Libraries
• Local Book Stores
• Local Music Stores

Games

• Local Children’s Toy Stores

Art Materials

• Artists Emporium
• ArtsJunktion
• Pen and paper
• Michaels

Concerts

• Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
• Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (MCO)
• Winnipeg Youth Orchestras (WSO)

Dance Performances

• Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB)
• Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers
• Cultural Dance groups in Manitoba

Art Galleries and Museums

• Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)
• Manitoba Museum

Theatre Productions

• Manitoba Theater for Young People (MTYP)
• Ligue d’improvisation du Manitoba (CCFM)
• Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC)
• Praire Theatre Exchange

Festivals

• Kids Fringe
• Brandon Folk, Music and Art Festival
• Winnipeg Folk Festival
• Festival du Voyageur
• Winnipeg International Children’s Festival

Arts Based Camps

• International Music Camp
• Mini-U, University of Manitoba
• Manitoba Theatre for Young People
• Winnipeg Art Gallery

Dance lessons

• Royal Winnipeg Ballet
• Check Winnipeg Leisure guide and yellow pages

Music Lessons

• Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts
• Registered Music Teachers (see https://mrmta.org/).

Art Lessons

• Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Check Winnipeg Leisure guide and yellow pages

Theatre classes

• Manitoba Theater for Young People (MTYP)
• Prairie Theatre Exchange

Book Resources for Parents

Arts Education

• Jean Van't Hul. (2013). The Artful Parent: Simple Ways to Fill Your Family's Life with Art & Creativity.
• Carol Korn-Bursztyn. (2012). Young Children and the Arts.
• Susan Wright.  (2002). The Arts, young children, and learning.

Visual Arts

• MaryAnn F. Kohl and Kim Solga.  (2002). Discovering Great Artists.
• Mona Brookes. (2002). Drawing with Children.
• Fiona Watt. (2010).  The Usborne complete book of art activities.
• Linda Evans, Mary Thompson and Karen Backus. (2006). Art Projects from Around the World.
• Susan Striker. (2001). Young at Art: Teaching Toddlers Self-Expression, Problem-Solving Skills, and an Appreciation for Art.
• Susan Striker. (2001). The First Anti-Coloring Book: Creative Activities for Ages 6 and Up.

Music

• Jerry Storms. (1995). 101 Music Games for Children.
• Nerissa Nields, Katryna Nields, Dan Zanes. (2011).  All Together Singing in the Kitchen: Creative Ways to Make and Listen to Music as a Family.  
• Robert Levine and Meredith Hamilton. (2000).  The Story of the Orchestra: Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!
• Genevieve Helsby. (2007). Those Amazing Musical Instruments! with CD: Your Guide to the Orchestra Through Sounds and Stories.
• Sing Along Syms series.
• Classical Kids CDs and DVDs.

Drama

• Jo Boulton. (2004). The Teddy Bears' Picnic and Other Stories: Role Play in the Early Years Drama Activities for 3-7 year-olds.
• Jo Boulton. (2004). The Toymaker's workshop and Other Tales: Role Play in the Early Years Drama Activities for 3-7 year-olds.
• Paul Rooyackers. (1997). 101 Drama Games for Children.
• Lisa Bany-Winters. (2012). On Stage: Theater Games and Activities for Kids.

Dance

• Paul Rooyackers. (2003). 101 More Dance Games for Children.
• Laura Lee and Meredith Hamilton. (2007). Child's Introduction to Ballet: The Stories, Music, and Magic of Classical Dance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my child take arts education in every grade? Yes, all children from Kindergarten to Grade 8 receive some form of arts education in one or many of the following art subjects: dance, drama, music, visual arts. Manitoba Education recommends a minimum of 10% instructional time be allotted for Grades 1-4 arts education.

Do all four arts subject areas (dance, drama, music, and visual arts) need to be taught and reported? No. Any one or more of the four arts education subjects may be taught to meet the arts education requirements. Schools have the flexibility to choose the number and combination of arts subjects appropriate to their local context, resources, needs, and the arts education implementation approach used in the school.

Where can I find curriculum information for the subjects of dance, drama, music, and visual arts? Curriculum frameworks for K-4 Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts are available on the Arts Education website.

Why is arts education important for my child? The arts are a vital part of every student’s education. They engage students’ bodies, minds, and spirits and provide new ways of seeing the world. Students have opportunities to be creative, explore ideas and feelings, use their imagination, think critically and work with others. Arts education helps students move toward becoming creative adults, enriching their own lives and the lives of their communities. Does your answer make sense? Why did you do it that way? Explain how you got that answer. Do you see a pattern? Can you tell me a different way of doing the question?