“Tell me”: when clothing becomes a tool for learning, communication and self-expression in early years and primary education.

Learning about others through clothing is the challenge proposed to pupils aged six to eight years old in France, China and Scotland, in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Under the interdisciplinary group for the study of children and their clothing (IN2FROCC) and inspired by the principles of Designing for Children's rights (D4CR), “Tell me” allowed students to discuss their clothing practices and cultures to better know themselves and understand the role of clothing in their lives. Workshops alternating story-telling, drawing, textile manipulation, enabled to capture the children's perspectives about themselves and their clothes, to encourage co-creation and to inspire new ways of learning that are more responsible and inclusive. Pioneering and illustrative of the variety of roles played by clothing in school, “Tell me” was presented in the exhibition “Dressed for school” at the National Museum of Education from June 2023 to March 2024. Based on original mixed methods conveying the visual analysis of children's productions and the study of their creative agency within the framework of “tell me” workshops, this communication aims to understand the direct interactions of children with their material culture in a school context. At the same time, we will question the educational role of clothing and its importance in non-verbal communication between children. Finally, recommendations will be made to invite us to think of clothing as an educational, creative and learning tool in early years schooling.