From the Dean of Learning and Teaching
Surviving the Symphony of Childhood Creativity
There are many signals to parents that our children are growing up: rolling over, first steps, toilet training, attending kindergarten, learning to read, etc. These milestones are a source of delight to parents to the extent that we photograph them, share these images with our friends and family, and enjoy the affirmation that our children are indeed progressing in a normative fashion.
There are some milestones that, while they are equally significant, they are not joyful. One such marker the experience of opening the booklist and realising that that our child requires a recorder. As an adult twin, I can appreciate that my own parents’ sorrows multiplied on this occasion.
My sister and I grew up on acreage, and we were required to practice our recorders together near the chook pen – out of sight of the house. Septamus, the sheep, made himself scarce on these occasions (unless we recruited him with weetbix). At least the chooks never complained.
Notwithstanding, creativity was such a pleasure as a child. Our cubbyhouse became an art gallery that, in our eyes at least, rivalled GOMA. When I first began to learn the trombone and my sister the drums, my father’s enthusiasm for the opening bars of the Mickey Mouse March was only matched by my mother’s alarm. On rainy days, we choreographed, and staged plays.
As parents, these are the signals that we cherish.
Last week, The Sunday Mail revealed that Queensland University of Technology has launched a review of its performing arts courses following a major decline in enrolments since the introduction of the ATAR in Queensland.
This decision coincides with the release of QCE subject enrolment data that also indicates arts subjects are not as popular amongst Queensland secondary students as they were five years ago.
Interestingly, data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2023 signifies a decrease in children participating in creative activities and reading for pleasure. As children get older, the rate decreases further. Census data also shows that creative activities are more popular among girls than boys.
Yet, the 2025 NAPLAN writing task required Australian students to write a creative text. Half of the marks in QCE English subjects are awarded using creative responses. If we leap beyond the curriculum, the National Arts Participation Survey makes clear that Australian maintain connections to arts and creativity and continue to value them in their lives and communities. Almost three-quarters of Australians attend live performances. Amongst audiences, there is a belief that attending arts performances improves their wellbeing.
Despite a clear demand and value of artistry and creativity, our young people are not as motivated to engage with imagination and beauty in a productive mode.
Young people are clearly engaging with creativity in the receptive mode, specifically viewing. Nine in ten children are spending more than 20 hours a week on screen-based activities, including social media, video games, and streaming platforms. While the quality of these creative works is certainly not always assured, young people clearly enjoy being an audience and appreciating the creativity of others.
These observations prompt the question: why are young people more motivated to view creativity rather than create – especially when creativity and innovation is highly valued?
One possible solution could be found in the celebration of creative playfulness. Studies show that active parent involvement in creativity increases young people’s exploration, awareness, and expression, and it can have a significant impact on development.
How might it feel to pick up that recorder?
Further Reading
- Chou, M. J. (2014). In celebration of creativity play: An exploration on children’s aesthetic sensibility and creativity in Waldorf early childhood education. Revista de Cercetare și Intervenție Socială, 47, 165-179. Retrieved from www.rcis.ro.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023, April 21). Children spending more hours a week on screen-based activities. Retrieved March 20, 2025, from https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/children-spending-more-hours-week-screen-based-activities.
- Creative Australia. (2023, September 19). Creating value: Results of the national arts participation survey. Retrieved March 20, 2025, from https://creative.gov.au/advocacy-and-research/creating-value/.
- TÜREL, Y. K., & DOKUMACI, Ö. (2022). Use of media and technology, academic procrastination, and academic achievement in adolescence. Participatory Educational Research (PER), 9(2), 481-497. Retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1826251.
MS GRACE LOYDEN
Dean of Learning & Teaching