Parents as Early Teachers Program

PARTNERSHIP OBJECTIVES:

The primary objective of the partnership between the Art Sparks Foundation and the Gyan Prakash Foundation is to support the "Parent as Early Teachers" program by providing age-appropriate arts-based video activities for parents of children aged 3 to 6.  

Developmental Objectives for Children-  
During early childhood, children experience rapid brain development, and everyday interactions with parents play an important role in shaping their development and learning. Activities such as talking, playing, and exploring together help children’s communication, confidence, and foundational skills. Therefore, active parental involvement during the early years is crucial and these activities are designed to nurture specific skills in early learners, including:  
  • Curiosity  
  • Choice and decision-making  
  • Self-expression  
  • Fine motor skills  
  • Observation skills  
  • Communication skills  
  • Social and emotional skills   
WHAT DID WE PROVIDE?

Art Sparks developed and provided 18 age appropriate art-based activity videos, which are designed for children aged 3-6 years. The organization also provided-  
  • Creation of simple and easy to follow art-based activities and curriculum  
  • Videos activities framed by Art Sparks Community facilitators to make the content more relatable and accessible for parents  
  • Translation support in Kannada, English and Marathi   
  • Virtual Professional Development training sessions for Gyan Prakash coordinators and trainers  
  • Monitoring and assessment tools to keep track of implementation and participation  

The training sessions focused on the process of learning, engagement of a child, self-expression, and encouraging parents to support exploration rather than focusing only on correct outcome.  
KEY OUTCOMES:
Parents displayed-  
  • Increased involvement in home-based learning activities  
  • Understanding of play-based and process-oriented learning  
  • More Supportive communication with their children  
  • Increased confidence in engaging with their child’s learning  

    ​    Many parents gradually shifted from focusing on perfect outcomes to valuing the process in which children explore.  ​
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Children showed gradual improvement in-  ​​
  • Communication and self-expression skills   
  • Confidence and participating during activities   
  • Curiosity and observation while exploring materials   
  • Fine motor coordination through hands-on activities   
  • Social and emotional engagement with the parents  
Many children also became more comfortable describing their work, expressing their thoughts, ideas, and participating independently during activities.  
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“My son earlier struggled to communicate clearly. After regularly engaging in the activities shared through the group, I noticed that he started sitting patiently, participating actively, and confidently explaining his work when asked. Watching him create texture from objects like coins, chairs, and other materials also reminded me of my own childhood experiences. She feels these activities are helping her child develop better communication and confidence.” 
- Ms. Namrata, Parent (GPF) 

​LONG TERM IMPACT

When parents are actively involved in their children's learning experience, it becomes a more supportive environment at home. The parent's engagement through art-based and play-based activities can help sustain children's interest in learning.  

Over the period, through regular communication, exploration and creative activities may help children to become more confident learners who are comfortable by expressing their ideas, participation in classrooms, and collaborative in school environments. The program also contributes towards school readiness, development of 21st-century learning, and life skills in children.  
The program can also support strengthening the long-term parents' involvement in education and through this the learning can happen by everyday interactions, play and activities at home. This can encourage families to be more involved in children's learning journeys.  
“ArtSparks has added significant value to Gyan Prakash Foundation's 'Parents as Early Teachers' initiative by enriching our early childhood education content and deepening both parent and team understanding of the role of art in young children’s learning. Through their thoughtfully designed video content, parents began to view art through a new lens—shifting their focus from the final product to the process of children exploring, making choices, and expressing themselves. This has helped parents appreciate how art supports learning, decision-making, and creativity in their child.

.In addition, the professional development sessions conducted by the ArtSparks team played a crucial role in building our internal capacity. These sessions helped the GPF team understand how art-based activities contribute to core learning abilities and 21st-century skills in preschool children. As a result, our team is now better equipped to meaningfully engage parents during monthly meetings and communicate the importance of providing children with regular, open-ended opportunities to engage in art at home.”​

- Swetha Chakravarthi, Lead- Early Childhood Programs, Gyan Prakash Foundation