Creative digital art: Young children's video making through practice-based learning

Abstract

In the twenty-first century, digital play has become an inevitable experience for young children and an art form that aligns with the STEAM approach. Researchers in various countries have investigated how digital technologies relate to children's learning experiences at school. This chapter describes the successful attempt to facilitate the production of video by nine children (aged five to eight years) during a two-day workshop in a government-subsidised university in Hong Kong. During the workshop, the children were taught (1) to use cinematic language (e.g., zoom-in and long take), (2) technical skills (e.g., the methods for operating a video camera) and (3) narrative skills (e.g., storyboard drawing). Through detailed guidance, practice-based questioning and a series of hands-on activities, the children were able to use film language to share their toy-playing stories and produce their own one-minute videos. The authors present the theoretical background to this exploratory study and share the implementation processes with teachers and parents. The teachers' reflections on the design and implementation of the workshop are also discussed. In addition, suggestions are made about ways to support the digital play of toddlers and young children.