涩里番

The following is an excerpt of an Op-Ed piece by Prof. Sheryl Smith-Gilman, Faculty Lecturer (Dept. Integrated Studies in Education) and Associate Director of the听Daniel and Monica Gold Centre for Early Childhood Development. The piece was published in .

As the school year winds down and families start planning summer activities, possibly anticipating those inevitable rainy days, I have found myself returning to a simple but powerful joy: sharing museum experiences with young children.

As a professor and a lifelong student of early childhood education, my research has centred听on how young children engage with the world around them.

With my rich experiences 鈥� including discussions about early childhood classrooms with teacher candidates and now as a grandmother 鈥� I am continually struck by the depth with which children respond to and appreciate any art form, often in surprising ways.

Museums and galleries are perfect environments that provide unique opportunities where children and adults can explore side by side. When thoughtfully engaged, they can foster the exchange of meaningful insights across generations. Museums听听places for learning that indeed may extend well beyond a classroom.

Along with shared experiences with parents, peers or educators, dialogue and guided听听can help children make meaning from what they see and do every day.

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Helping children find connections and meaning

With that in mind, nothing is more powerful than learning from children themselves. Recently, my four-year-old grandson was jumping on my bed (something this grandmother allows) during a visit. As he bounced around holding my hands with joy, he suddenly stopped in front of a framed charcoal drawing hanging above my bed.

It was of a middle-aged woman seated pensively on a wooden chair as she looked down at the ground. He paused, turned to me and said, 鈥淲hy is she so sad?鈥�

I was taken aback by his spontaneous question. Instead of offering him an immediate reason, I asked him why he thought she looked 鈥渟o sad.鈥� After studying the sketch, he replied, she looked sad because her body was 鈥渟lumpy and her face was just not happy!鈥�

I could see he was convinced by his own interpretation. Still, rather than agreeing or correcting him, I gently asked again, 鈥淲hy do you think she is so sad?鈥� He responded straightforwardly, 鈥淢aybe because she is lonely and there is no one else in the picture.鈥� He then continued to jump.

It was a beautiful moment. What struck me was not just his spontaneous observation, but the connection he made between visual expression and emotional meaning.

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