The dos and don’ts of practicing artivism: Pedagogical insights for embedding child rights and addressing social issues in early childhood education

Artivism—the intersection of art and activism—is emerging as a significant pedagogical approach for engaging young children in complex social issues, such as environmental sustainability and supporting children's rights. This research study explores the integration of artivism into early childhood education curricula, with a focus on how early childhood educators can uphold children's rights while empowering them as active agents of social change. Using environmental sustainability as a pedagogical provocation, the research examines how preschool children, through creative expression, explore their roles in shaping equitable and sustainable futures. This paper challenges the idea of childhood as passive and presents children as active participants with rights, as supported by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Situated within a rights-based framework, the study emphasizes the importance of recognizing children as capable social actors, rather than passive recipients in need of protection. The curriculum, which incorporated child-led art-making and story-sharing sessions—including contributions from an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper—prioritized children's voices, facilitating their engagement with social issues through creative activities. Utilizing a duoethnography research methodology, the researchers reflect critically on the pedagogical processes required to recognize and support children's agency while also considering the ethical responsibilities involved in fostering children's activism through the visual arts. The paper concludes by offering practical recommendations for early childhood educators, emphasizing strategies to create learning environments that respect children's rights, amplify their voices, and encourage their active participation in societal change, thereby contributing to a broader reimagining of the child as an empowered agent in both educational and social contexts.