As the days darken, making more room for arts-based practices and experiences is one way to bring useful, interesting or sustaining activities into the seasons ahead.

For families and people working in schools, this may be particularly relevant as the school year settles into its routines and demands. Making more room for the arts can expand the resources available to students, families and educators, including opportunities for curiosity, connection and enjoyment in daily life.

Even positive or eagerly anticipated changes require us to adapt, which can take attention, time and emotional energy. What requires little thought once it becomes habitual can require considerable attention when new. Our capacity to navigate these changes is shaped by the resources available to us and the relationships and systems we are part of.

A student who was excited to be back at school may stumble with figuring out new friendships, expectations or responsibilities, while another may feel the dread that can emerge after difficult experiences or alongside boredom and uncertainty.

Parents and caregivers support these day-to-day challenges alongside everything else they carry and manage, while teachers lead classrooms within school systems where time, staffing and other resources are often stretched thin.

Art to expand our........

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