Nadia Lubowski, Director of the Anton Lubowski Educational Trust (ALET), tells us more about the importance of art therapy in childhood development.
A key pillar of early childhood education is establishing social skills, as children who learn appropriate social skills are typically better at forming connections, showing empathy, and communicating as adults. Expressive arts such as visual art, drama, music, and creative writing can be a powerful means of self-expression, contributing to overall well-being, enhancing self-awareness and self-esteem, strengthening relationships, and promoting social skills. Additionally, engaging in these activities can help reduce anxiety and stress, making them essential tools in nurturing both emotional and social development in young learners.

The Impact of Art in Education
The Education Hub, an organisation launched to bridge the gap between research and practice in education to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for children and young people, says art – or what it calls visual arts such as painting, clay work, sculpture, collage, weaving, construction, photography, wearable art, carving, printing and ephemera, amongst others – can be a rich domain through which young children can explore and represent their experiences, think through and deepen their working theories and develop their creative thinking.

Supporting Pre-Literate Children
For pre-literate children, it helps young children express ideas that they may struggle to express verbally, promotes creativity and imagination, and develops critical literacy. It can also help young children process their experiences, positively impacting their overall wellbeing and significantly reduce stress levels.
In South Africa, where many children in disadvantaged communities face some form of childhood trauma, art therapy is gaining popularity as a mental health treatment, particularly for traumatized children who lack the verbal capacity or maturity to express their thoughts and emotions.

The Importance of Early Intervention
Around the world, therapists have successfully used art therapy for children who survived disasters, including those affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the United States, children impacted by 9/11, and girls aged 5 to 13 who survived the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. Various studies have revealed the impact of childhood trauma, which impacts brain development and mental health and leads to higher incidences of suicide, alcoholism, and drug addiction in later life. Early intervention is key to helping children successfully navigate traumatic events so they don’t present as bigger issues when they are older.
The Emergence of Art Therapy
Art therapy first emerged as a viable therapy in the 1940s and 1950s based on the idea of making the unconscious conscious, combined with the healing potential of the creative process.
For therapists, the biggest benefit of art therapy is that the actual process of making art can help bypass the verbal centres of the brain, helping them to examine and discuss the thoughts manifested in the artwork physically and visually. For patients, its most significant benefits are that it engages the physical body in relaxation through the manipulation of art materials, allows the individual to engage in a personalised introspective exercise in which the process and finished product become the symbolic container of traumatic memories, and allows for cognitive reflection.
The American Art Therapy Association says the benefits of art therapy include improved cognitive and sensory-motor functions, better self-esteem and self-awareness, emotional resilience, enhanced social skills, reduction and resolution of conflicts and distress.
Global Success of Art Therapy
Around the world, therapists successfully use art therapy for children who survived disasters, including those affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the United States, children impacted by 9/11, and girls aged 5 to 13 who survived the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. Art therapy is particularly effective when treating children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after sexual abuse.
A 2021 study https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9120333/ found that childhood trauma, negative life events, and stigma associated with numerous mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, disruptive behavior, anger, and poor self-concept. There is no question that traumatised children cannot reach their full potential, making it critical for educational facilities—especially those in disadvantaged communities—to implement structures that address childhood trauma.
The Anton Lubowski Educational Trust (ALET)
The Anton Lubowski Educational Trust (ALET) focuses on early childhood development in low socio-economic communities, paying special attention to the connection between school and home and helping to set children up for future success. ALET’s flagship project is an early childhood development and family centre in the Cape Town township of Philippi, an area that suffers high levels of crime, violence, unemployment, and poverty and where children struggle to access good quality education. Our vision is to help every child coming through our programme reach their full potential and live a purposeful life, breaking the cycle of poverty and hopelessness.
Current Initiatives and Future Plans
Once the physical ALET early childhood development and family centre has been built, in Philippi, this work will be an integral part of the fabric of the centre, which is why we need to raise capital and start building this space now.
We are currently conducting art therapy workshops with the community as a way of helping children in our care process trauma. The research that goes into the work that we do also enables us to build a framework for how we can show the impact that these workshops are having on community members. Once the physical centre is built, it will include a dedicated art space where the children in our care will be encouraged to express themselves without fear of judgement or criticism. Based on the philosophy that all children are innately creative, art activities will be child-led rather than teacher-directed with educators encouraged to focus on the experience rather than a defined outcome.
Building Circles of Support
Along with the community of Vukuzenzele in Cape Town and the Sp(i)eel Arts Therapy Collective (an NPO specialising in creative, culturally sensitive psychosocial programmes across South Africa), ALET is currently driving a research study that aims to build circles of support around young children, their families, and communities through creative, arts-based and trauma-informed early childhood care and education (ECCE) approaches. The first workshop, scheduled to take place between 22 and 24 January 2024, will include ECCE stakeholders, academic researchers, social and healthcare workers and will focus on how to advance creative early childhood education with culturally-informed, inclusive, arts-based and healing-centred practices that make provision for indigenous and innate knowledge.
The study will result in a report that will include recommendations for policy changes as well as strategies to integrate arts-based play, and storytelling methodologies to heal trauma and foster creativity and resilience among young children and their guardians.
Investing in Children’s Development
To unlock South Africa’s full potential as a nation, it is crucial to develop more appropriate models and provide essential tools and resources for caregivers and educators. This approach will enable them to better support children’s development sustainably while ensuring that nurturing learning environments are created to foster holistic growth. By prioritising not just academic achievement but also emotional, social, and physical well-being, we can encourage our youngest citizens to thrive. Investing in their development benefits not only the children themselves but also society as a whole, as well-rounded individuals contribute positively to their communities and the economy. As we move forward, let us commit to empowering those who play a vital role in shaping children’s lives, ultimately creating a brighter future for South Africa.
For South Africa to achieve its full potential, it is essential to develop more suitable models and offer tools and resources for caregivers and educators. This will enable them to support children’s development in a sustainable manner while also fostering nurturing learning environments that promote holistic growth.