This collection explores the value and meaning of performing arts for young children (birth-6 years old) with a focus on how children aesthetically perceive and make meaning of art. The premise of the book is that children perceive through the senses; the original Greek meaning of the word “aesthetic.” The perception of art by very young children has not been sufficiently researched until the 21st century nor taken into account as something that may be of value for young children. This book redirects this notion by connecting the young child as a human being with performance perception theory and early childhood development theories. It demonstrates the value of performance for and with young children and highlights their capacity for meaning making. The chapters rely on theories of child and childhood, performance perception theory and audience and performance analyses from multiple perspectives and in multiple global contexts, demonstrating the impact of performing arts experiences in educating the whole child.

Manon van de Water is the Vilas-Phipps Distinguished Achievement Professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. She is the author of Moscow Theatres for Young People: A Cultural History of Ideological Coercion and Artistic Innovation, 1917-2000 (2006); Dutch Theatre for Children (2008/2009), and Theatre, Youth, and Culture: A Critical and Historical Exploration (2012), for which she received the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE) Distinguished Book Award. She is past chair of ITYARN, the International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network for which she edited TYA, Culture, Society: International Essays in Theatre for Young Audiences (2012), translated in Spanish and Farsi, and Diversity, Representation, and Culture in TYA (2020). Her co- written textbook Drama and Education: Performance Methodologies for Teaching and Learning, is based on her teaching of drama for the past 25 years and has been translated in Mandarin. Van de Water was the lead researcher on “Mapping” (2018-2023)—a multifaceted project supported by Creative Europe, the EU program that co-finances art projects. For this project she edited and contributed to 'Mapping Research: A Map on the Aesthetics of Performing Arts for Early Years.