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Children's experiences The paper exploresin the possibilitiesfield of applyingart have an integrativeimportant approachrole in fostering their holistic and healthy growth and development. One of the areas of art belongs to visual artsarts, which facilitate the development of children's creative potential, visual-spatial intelligence, visual sensitivity, imagination, aesthetic perception, and literaturespecific artistic expressive abilities. The objective of this research was to examine the extent to which kindergarten teachers implement traditional and modern strategies and teaching methods in preparing and implementing art activities in kindergarten. The research included 207 participants, Croatian kindergarten teachers from the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county, Sisak-Moslavina county, and the city of Zagreb. The questionnaire used in the firstresearch cycleincluded closed and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used for basic data analysis. The answers to the open questions were analysed by extracting key words and grouping them into meaningful categories. The incidence of primarycertain educationcategories was determined, and the percentages were calculated regarding the number of respondents. The existence of statistically significant differences in the Republicuse of Serbia. Within this educational system, wherecertain teaching ismethods subject-oriented,and integrativefostering approacheschildren’s participation in visual arts activities by teachers regarding their place of work was calculated with the χ² test. The obtained results are inadequately presentpresented in practice. The authors of this paper believe that, in such a context, future teachers need to be further trainedtables and empowered in using integrative approaches. The paper describes and analyzes a project conducted in more than 70 Fine Arts classes, involving fourth-year students from the Faculty of Education in Belgrade and pupils from the first to fourth grade. Inspired by H. C. Andersen's fairy tale 'Thumbelina,' the artwork explores the story's themes, motifs, problems, and possibilities through a methodical interpretation. Based on such an understanding of the fairy tale, a substantial and diverse practice in Fine Arts classes was implemented, which was the primary goal of the project. In addition to describing the working process with students – collaborative marking of motives, characters, and/or scenes from the fairy tale, and finding appropriate artistic media adapted to the pupils' age – the paper includes qualitatively analyzed authors’ and participants’ personal reflections and outlines methodological implications of challenges and opportunities we have encountered.descriptively. The research results demonstrateshowed that the successfulestablished integrationapproaches ofin preparing and implementing art activities in preschool prevail within visual arts and literature, challenging the notion of art being used merely as a decorative activity in other school subjects, where it may lose its integrity. Photos of children's artworks are an integral part of the project's outcomes, presented here as a strong incentive for teachers to consider art in schools as a way of thinking and knowing.education.
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