Imagination, play, and the role of performing arts in the well-being of children

Abstract

Children need more than just the basic means for survival. They also need opportunities to develop a sense of personal significance and fulfillment. This occurs when they are able to explore and respond to the world around them, to discover and express cultural and social values on numerous levels, and to assert and shape their own voices. This can be achieved when they purposefully engage their minds and bodies in order to exercise their creative capacities through expressive media. In this chapter, the author explores the potential for the performing arts to serve as valuable pursuits that enable children to achieve and maintain a sense of well-being. Beginning with an examination of the phenomenon of play in the lives of children and its connection to the work of performing artists, the author focuses on imaginative forms of play as they naturally lead to artistic play. He continues by exploring the link between imagination, imaginative play, and the performing arts. He acknowledges that free and informal artistic play often may progress to more formal and focused study in the performing arts. The author examines each of three main performing art forms (music, dance, and theater), noting how they are similar, what distinguishes them, and what research shows regarding their impact on a child’s well-being. He concludes by proposing four purposes that arts participation might serve in meeting important needs of growing children. These four functions can be characterized as (1) activity, (2) belonging, (3) identity, and (4) ownership.