Exploring rights through the arts

All children and young people have the right to take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities under Article 31 of the Convention.

The creative arts are an excellent vehicle through which children and young people can explore a range of different articles and deepen their understanding of how the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child link to their own lives, and the lives of others around the world. 

Many Rights Respecting Schools provide pupils with opportunities to explore rights through music, art, drama and dance.  Here, we offer ideas and suggestions to start your work to explore rights through the arts. 

Every Child A Song – Art Project Resource

Author Nicola Davies has shared an art project that you can use in your school to create art linked to the CRC. Suitable for children from early years through to lower secondary, this enables pupils to explore rights through the book Every Child a Song and create their own zig zag book. This would be an ideal whole school project for World Book Day, World Children’s Day or a drop-down day on children’s rights at the start of the school year. You could also use other books as inspiration to create artwork linked to rights.  

Rights through song, dance and design with the Royal Opera House 

The Royal Opera House offers schools the opportunity to explore rights as part of Create Day. Create Day is a FREE mass-participation day of singing, dancing and design with thousands of school children in KS2 classrooms across England celebrating children’s rights with dancers and singers from the Royal Ballet and Opera.  Find out how your school could take part.