Exploring young immigrant and refugee children's experiences and perspectives through art and play

This pilot case study will work closely with a small number of young immigrant and/or refugee children (ages 4-6) who have recently migrated to Australia to examine what their perspectives and understandings are about processes of migration, integration and adjustment. These findings can help inform tailored approaches to better support young immigrant and/or refugee children's adjustment, learning, development and wellbeing. Topics will be explored through repeated sessions (1-3 times/week) of child-led arts-informed and play-based sessions and conversations with the CI at an early learning setting over several months. Play and art-making are chosen because these are natural forms of communication for young children to represent ideas, theories, knowledge, key memories and experiences, develop personal narratives, make meaning, and express feelings and perspectives. Each child’s parent or guardian and teachers will be interviewed and classroom observations gathered during playtime to help situate and clarify the experiences with migration, integration and adjustment processes, social and cultural contexts, practices and routines of the home and community that their child may have shared through their play and art-making.