Introducing Folk Art to Young Children: Experience of an Innovative Paper-Cutting Project in Chinese Kindergartens

Abstract Art plays a significant role in children’s lives. Studies into art practices in early childhood settings have provided valuable implications for high-quality art curricula and pedagogy. These practices are characterized by encouraging free expression and meaning-making through art. However, teachers have reported that it is challenging to engage children in meaningful art experiences within a highly structured, test-driven curriculum. In the article, we address the current needs of art education in the Chinese context. In response to the needs, we present a child-centered approach to teach folk art through a bottom-up innovation of the art curriculum in Chinese kindergartens: The Freehand Paper-cutting Project. Through the exploration of this project, we offer three examples to demonstrate how the project was implemented. We discuss the three cases in a reflection of children’s learning process and teachers’ roles. Through the discussion, we emphasize the importance of balancing the play-based and meaning-making ideology with product-based and skill-based curricula. The article aims to bring insights to practitioners who are interested in introducing folk art to their classrooms.