ARTISTIC EXPERIENCES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: PATHWAYS TO CHILDREN’S SENSITIVE, CREATIVE, AND EXPRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This article discusses artistic experiences in Early Childhood Education as pathways to children’s sensitive, creative, and expressive development. The objective was to systematize normative and pedagogical foundations that support art as a childhood language and as part of the lived curriculum, highlighting conditions for intentional, open, and process-centered artistic proposals. Methodologically, this is a narrative literature review with a qualitative approach, based on curricular documents and studies on art in childhood, creativity, pedagogical mediation, and the organization of time and learning environments. The findings indicate that experiences with visual arts, music, dance, and dramatization foster aesthetic sensitivity, imagination, communication, and emotional expression, while also contributing to bonds, cooperation, and the expansion of cultural repertoires. It also shows that effectiveness depends on planned routines, diverse materials, environment organization, sensitive teacher mediation, and valuing the creative process rather than standardized products. The study concludes that integrating artistic experiences into everyday school life strengthens meaningful learning and contributes to a more humane, expressive, and creative Early Childhood Education, in coherence with current educational guidelines.