Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) will implement an integrated arts education program to foster young children's emotional sensitivity and creativity.

The JBNU Arts Education Industry–Academia–Municipality Coupling Project Group (Director: Professor Lee Hwa-dong) announced on the 10th that, with support from Jeollabuk Province, it will provide commissioned integrated arts education training for kindergartens and daycare centers.

To this end, the Project Group developed a new-paradigm integrated arts education program for infants and young children (CAEP). On the 10th at 1:30 p.m., it held a program briefing and open classes for kindergarten and daycare center directors at the JBNU Arts Promotion Hall.

The developed integrated arts education program for kindergartens is a comprehensive curriculum that enables children to fully engage with various art forms—music, visual arts, and dance—and fosters creativity by stimulating and developing their potential. On the premise that experiential learning—where children first enjoy and feel artistic activities and then learn to understand letters—is essential to enhancing young children's creativity, play becomes the driving force of the curriculum.

Through this, infants and young children are expected to develop creative and open thinking that enables them to respond proactively to changing environments, cultivate problem-solving abilities, and grow into creative talents.

Directors of local daycare centers who observed the open classes said, "We expect this play-based program, which combines music, visual arts, and dance, to stimulate young children's senses and promote creativity," and added, "If this program is applied in actual daycare education, more systematic learning guidance can be provided."

Lee Hwa-dong, director of the project, said, "The educational goal of the developed integrated arts education program is to enhance seven competencies in children: creativity, concentration, expressive ability, imagination, thinking skills, confidence, and communication." He added, "We will closely share this education program with early childhood education institutions to help children grow into creative talents."