Full of inspiring ideas for all early years' practitioners and leaders, this book provides clear and detailed information about expressive arts and design in the early years and how to plan for this area of learning across a wide variety of different settings. It aims to develop practitioners' confidence and expertise in facilitating rich and enjoyable opportunities for the arts that support all aspects of childrn's development. Based on the latest research, the book highlights the importance of the arts in children's lives and promotes a child-led approach that builds on children's own interests and stage of development to extend learning. Covering all aspects of arts provision from the visual arts to dance, drama, music and imaginative play, the book offers practical tools for assessing the arts and design environment and includes: full colour photographs and case studies of the arts in action Links to practice boxes in each chapter strategies to support a positive inspection process ideas for exploring media and materials the challenges of the arts curriculum and how to overcome these Written by a leading consultant and offering a wealth of practical advice, this book is essential reading for practitioners wanting to support children's creativity through a wide range of art and design experiences, whether they work in a group setting or from home as a childminder.