The Arts and Child Development - written by Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier

At The Little Big Book Club we are very fortunate to have wonderful partnerships with amazing organisations who share their time, expertise and resources with us. We first developed a friendship with The Adelaide Festival Centre two years ago when they approached us about their show The Gruffalo. We were delighted to help promote this event by featuring the wonderful book as one of our selections for the month. The Adelaide Festival Centre generously gave us some tickets that we were able to share with familes who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend. We again partnered this year with The Gruffalo's Child.

Late last year I had another catch up with the wonderful publicity and marketing team and as a result am able to share with you:

• Details of upcoming children's performances at The Adelaide Festival Centre
• A blog written for us by Douglas Gautier, the Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director, on the importance of The Arts and Child Development
• A chance to win family passes to THREE shows presented by The Adelaide Festival Centre this summer!

The Arts and Child Development - written by Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier

The arts are an integral factor in child development, providing learning experiences that stand alone from, yet complement other learning areas. Children who are given the opportunity to see live performance from a young age gain cultural enrichment from the experience, as well as an increased cognitive ability. 

Research from the University of Newcastle has discovered that the arts encourages different modes of reasoning, as they teach divergent thought processes and give children the capability to come up with more solutions to problems. The same research also identified that when 25% or more of a curriculum is devoted to arts programs, whether music, dance, visual art, writing, or drama, students then developed superior academic abilities, proving the complementary nature of arts education alongside sciences and other traditional subjects.

Arts education can engage young minds, helps develop critical thinking and analytical skills, and provides children with many opportunities to express and communicate their own feelings. Children often understand more than they know how to communicate – the arts promote non-verbal skill sets and allow children to communicate through alternative channels. The arts are fundamental in developing self-expression.

Arts education also encourages cross-cultural learning and promotes a heightened understanding of the diversity of cultures. I take the view that cultural activities and having an understanding of other cultures enrich your life. Children who are exposed to diverse cultures through artistic performance gain a deeper understanding of our world, its traditions and beliefs, which in turn leads to a more rounded and culturally aware adult.

Adelaide Festival Centre is committed to providing accessible, high quality and affordable programs for families and children, aged two and up. The most successful arts centres in the world aim to appeal to a broad range of audiences with creative programs that engage and inspire.

The best arts centres in the world are those that think about all of their audiences with their programming, and take into account the various age groups and their needs. Here at the Festival Centre we strive to fill those needs with creative programs that connect and grow with our audiences.

In 2012 the Festival Centre is presenting a number of performances designed to appeal to different age groups, these include:

 Angelina Ballerina’s Big Audition, performed by Royal New Zealand Ballet and set to the music of Tchaikovsky;

The List Operators for Kids! a comedy routine especially for younger audiences, and

White, a highly visual show created for 2 -4 year olds presented by one of Scotland’s top theatre groups for children Catherine Wheels Theatre Group.

In April Patch Theatre Company present Me and My Shadow it tells the story of a girl negotiating the tricky business of making friends with her shadow; it is stunning theatre that tells its story using paper, light, shadow, colour, water, music, sounds and words.

The Something on Saturday program, now in its 35^th year, is another solid example of the commitment the Centre has to encouraging young arts patrons, and many South Australian children aged 3 to 10 enjoy their first theatrical experience through the program. Something on Saturday, which runs from May until September each year, provides creative, engaging and affordable entertainment for children, with performances that range from storytelling to magic, ballet to acrobatics, puppetry to circus skills.

As a parent of two daughters aged 5 and 3 I have even more reason to ensure the Festival Centre remains committed to providing a variety of performances for children. At the simplest level, arts programs targeted at children provide enjoyment and pleasure, but the deeper, less tangible benefits are equally as important. We are trying to expand the possibilities for the cultural education of young people.

Lord David Puttnam said learning through culture led to creative thinking and better problem-solving. "If we fail to offer our young people the opportunity to participate in the arts and culture, then we fail to support them in becoming the leading thinkers, innovators, creative business and community leaders of the future," The Guardian, Saturday 5 November 2011

For more information read Dr Neryl Jeanneret, Faculty of Education University of Newcastle’s article on  Why the Arts are Important in Developing Children’s Full Potential http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/k_6/arts/kids_potential.php 

For your chance to win one of the following:

(You need to be available to attend the performances at the stated dates and times at The Adelaide Festival Centre.)

1 x family pass (4 tickets) to Angelina Ballerina’s Big Audition Wednesday 18 January 1.30pm, Dunstan Playhouse

1 x family pass (4 tickets) List Operators – Wednesday 25 January, 10am, Space Theatre

1 x family pass (4 tickets) White – Sunday 1 February, 12noon, Space Theatre

Please leave a comment below telling us:

•  What you enjoy most about The Little Big Book Club.

• And which tickets you would like to win. (You can find out more about the shows by clicking on the links in the blog.)

Random winners will be drawn and announced here on Monday 16 January.