MONTH OF CREATIVITY
WORKSHOPS: CREATIVE INSPIRATION FOR WORKING WITH CHILDREN AGED 0 TO 6
From early exploration of the world to the first year of school
This series of workshops offers insights into creative and artistic activities for very young children. These activities are characterized by a different approach, where the process is more important than the result, and where interactivity and sensory experience play a central role.
For children under six, the focus is primarily on offering play in a safe environment and creating an atmosphere that encourages discovery. What matters is what the child experiences during the activity or creative process itself—how they experiment, explore, and find their own paths.
The focus is on sensory perception (colors, sounds, rhythm), materials (their specific qualities and tactile experience), and movement—that is, on stimuli that entertain and fascinate children at this age and naturally stimulate their curiosity.
Through play and creative exploration, children discover the world around them and their own potential. Come and be inspired on how to sensitively and creatively nurture this dynamic process in children.
Who are these workshops for?
The workshops are designed for teachers, instructors, artists, and anyone who works with children in preschools, children’s and youth centers, libraries, or family and parenting centers.
In short, they are for anyone who works with children from birth to age six (both professionally and in their free time) and is looking for ways to support their natural development through art and creativity.
What can you look forward to?
The workshops bring together three sources of inspiration: You’ll gain insight into the instructors’ specific expertise and take away practical examples to apply to your own work. Through a variety of venues, you’ll explore the opportunities offered by the spaces themselves. You’ll also have time to share your experiences and recharge your batteries.
Workshop capacity is limited.
You can register using this form
If the workshop is full, you can be added to the waiting list (you will be notified if any spots become available). If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at iva.jedlickova@budejovice2028.cz
The workshops are free of charge.
WORKSHOP PROGRAM
📅 May 13 and 14, 2026 | 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
📍ČB 2028, Nádražní 118/6, České Budějovice
A workshop for everyone who works with children—but ends up dealing with adults anyway.
A workshop for everyone who works with children—but ends up dealing with adults anyway.
Children are our job. But then someone drops by “just for a moment”: a parent, a chaperone, a client, a colleague… and suddenly you’re figuring out who’s actually in charge at that moment, why someone is interrupting your program, where that pressure is coming from, and why a single sentence can throw you off for the rest of the day.
This workshop is for anyone who, after a similar experience, says to themselves: “Okay. Next time I want to handle it better. I just don’t know exactly what to do differently.”
We’ll take a practical approach: we’ll role-play situations from your own experience and then analyze them together. No moralizing, no “right answers”—instead, we’ll explore what was happening in that situation, what triggered the conflict (or, conversely, cooperation), and how to help yourself next time so that certain things don’t happen at all and others happen more often (respect, calm, agreement, support).
It will be practical, safe, and also humorous—because without humor, it’s hard for adults to get along in a room. You’ll take away specific mini-strategies and “go-to phrases” that work when you need to maintain boundaries, stay in your role, and still keep relationships healthy.
Capacity: 10
Instructor: Vít Piskala
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Vít Piskala is an actor and theater instructor. After studying media studies, political science, and drama education at JAMU, he found his place on the theater stage. He worked at the Husa na provázku theater in Brno and subsequently focused on productions for younger audiences at the Polárka theater. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Malé divadlo in České Budějovice, and since 2021, he has led the EDU Center A3D. He is also part of the organization Zdravotní klaun. He loves improvisation and workshops and is able to combine acting with education.
📅 May 15, 2026 | 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM
📍BudeCirkus, Rudolfovská 26/12 (entrance from Jeronýmova Street), České Budějovice
Circus pedagogy for working with preschool-aged children.
Are you looking for a way to enrich preschool education with elements of contemporary circus—safely and meaningfully?
In this workshop, we’ll provide a basic introduction to some disciplines of contemporary circus. You’ll try out simple and safe movement activities that require no prior experience, and gain inspiration on how to apply circus techniques directly in your work.
We emphasize creativity, collaboration, self-confidence, and the inclusion of all children regardless of their physical abilities.
Capacity: 15
Instructors: Kateřina Vaněčková, Šárka Zavadilová, BudeCirkus
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS
Kateřina Vaněčková is the founder and artistic director of BudeCirkus. She discovered the circus during an Erasmus exchange program in Spain, where she first encountered aerial acrobatics. After returning, she continued training at KD Mlejn in Prague, and after moving to České Budějovice, she decided not to give up on the circus, so she founded her own center.
Šárka Zavadilová joined the BudeCirkus team in 2016, when she met Kačka Vaněčková at another recreational organization. Since then, she has been actively involved in the center’s operations and development. She is also a member of the board of Cirkonet (the Czech-Slovak network for circus education).
📅 May 21, 2026 | 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM
📍Švestkový Dvůr, Malovice 35
This creative theater and movement laboratory opens up a space for exploring three intertwined themes and principles that can be adapted in various ways when working with children on the cusp of preschool and school age.
- The body as a source of movement, transformation, and dialogue (movement activities for individuals and groups, body awareness through touch, dynamics, skeletal mechanics...)
- Animation of materials and objects (basic principles and techniques of puppetry based on one’s own bodily experience)
- Working with theatrical lighting in a black box (movement scores and their variations, the dynamics of live images, perception of detail under spot lighting, how to light animation…)
An important part of the workshop will also be exploring the transformation of individual artistic activities into non-theatrical environments.
Capacity: 18
Instructors: Kateřina Šobáňová, Ivan Vanko, Švestkový dvůr
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS
Kateřina Šobáňová graduated from the Faculty of Education at Masaryk University in Brno, and later from the Theater Faculty at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Since 2008, she has been a member of the independent international theater group Divadlo Continuo, where she has contributed to the creation of approximately 32 productions. She applies her many years of experience gained through working with the body, movement, materials, puppets, voice, sound, visual stylization, and their interconnections—in addition to acting and directing—to her teaching work. As an instructor, she leads theater and movement workshops for children, students, adults, and seniors in the Czech Republic and abroad.
At the artistic, educational, and cultural organization Švestkový Dvůr, she has long been developing a dramaturgical program for children and young audiences, which for the past four years has been supplemented by a creative learning lab for kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools, and secondary schools. She is currently the program director of the entire organization.
Ivan Vanko studied acting at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. Since 2022, he has been a member of the international theater company Divadlo Continuo, where he participates in the preparation of theatrical productions and other artistic projects. He also teaches stage movement and acting at the University of Ostrava, where he works with voice students. He has long collaborated with the artistic and educational organization Švestkový Dvůr, z.s., where he leads creative learning classes. In his artistic and educational work, he combines acting, movement, and creative collaboration.
Creative learning at Švestkový Dvůr is based on collaborative exploration and the integration of artistic, educational, and community activities, which form the foundation for implementing and fulfilling the Framework Educational Program in the Arts and Culture educational area. During the creative programs offered, the schools themselves—and especially the teachers—have the opportunity to view both educational fields (Visual and Film Arts and Music, Dance, and Drama) as interconnected wholes, rather than as separate subjects.
The project includes professional theater and dance productions from both the domestic and international scenes.
📅 May 22, 2026 | 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍South Bohemian Research Library (Children’s Department), Na Sadech 27, České Budějovice
A workshop on using play, theater, and storytelling approaches when working with children from toddlers to preschoolers.
Do you read books aloud to children? Do you watch them play with stuffed animals, or has an officer from their toy police car just arrested you? Discover how to interpret, develop, and consciously use these situations to gain a deeper understanding of the world of children, shared play, and natural learning.
The workshop offers practical methods for play, theater, and storytelling activities. You’ll learn how to use a book as an open space for imagination and how to draw inspiration from spontaneous children’s play. The program is based on years of experience with interactive theater performances and creative workshops at Brno’s Mikro-teatro, which combines theater, children’s literature, and the active participation of young audiences.
You’ll take away concrete tools for creating a safe space for sharing emotions and for developing creative dialogue with children ranging from toddlers to preschoolers.
Capacity: 15
Instructor: Andrea Steinbauer, Mikro-teatro
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Andrea Steinbauer is an instructor, actress, educator, and mother. She has extensive experience creating content for children aged six months to ten years. She has worked as a teacher of literature and drama at an elementary arts school and as an instructor at several theaters. At Brno’s Mikro-teatro, she regularly leads the “Bring the Book to Life!” program and performs in productions for the youngest audiences, such as “The Song of the Earth” and “The Red-Haired She-Wolf.”
Mikro-teatro has been active in Brno since 2019 with the aim of creating unique performances in the intimate setting of homes and apartments for a small audience. Its specialty is projects that foster a close relationship among all those present, creating a safe space for sharing and expressing emotions. This format, entirely unique in the Czech Republic, draws on the tradition of home theater common in Spanish-speaking countries. Mikro-teatro’s repertoire currently consists of 12 productions—eight for children ranging from toddlers to school-age kids and four for adult audiences.
📅 May 23, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍Pražská Preschool, Pražská 17, České Budějovice
Elements of music therapy in the education, upbringing, and care of children from toddlers to preschoolers.
You will enter a world where your mindful and loving attention is your best guide. During the workshop, you will focus on the fundamental pillars of music therapy for the holistic development of the child and experience games and exercises involving rhythm, melody, and musical harmony.
You will discover various sounds that will become your inspiration in the learning process, upbringing, and care. You will also explore rituals with children, from musical cues in songs to shared relaxation and quiet time. Self-care and “resourcing” will also be important topics for you. As a guide for others, you need to know how to draw strength and create healthy habits for yourself and for those you lead.
Capacity: 15
Instructor: Štěpánka Čížková, Ateliér Souznění
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Štěpánka Čížková holds a degree in religious studies and has studied Waldorf preschool education, kindergarten pedagogy, and early childhood education. Since 2009, she has been pursuing ongoing training in music therapy, which she has been applying in practice since 2010. From 2010 to 2019, she ran a private music therapy practice. As an instructor, she conducts experiential music programs for a wide range of age groups—from the Bookstart project for the youngest children to seminars for high school students in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (in collaboration with Léčivé nástroje). She currently teaches German and music at the Waldorf elementary and high school in Příbram.
📅 May 28, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
📍Štítného Preschool, Elementary, and High School, Štítného 3, České Budějovice
Yoga and mindfulness for children ages 5 to 7.
The transition from preschool to school is a big step for children. In addition to slippers, a pencil case, and a new backpack, you can “pack” something even more important for them—an inner backpack from which they can draw calmness, focus, and courage exactly when they need it. Children’s yoga and mindfulness techniques fit naturally into such a backpack.
In this workshop, you’ll open this imaginary backpack together to discover everything it might hold. You’ll try breathing exercises, simple yoga poses, short self-massages, and relaxation techniques, and combine them into small daily rituals that support children’s natural self-regulation, attention development, and resilience-building.
You’ll learn how to sensitively develop these techniques with children in a calm and safe environment so they can gradually master them and use them independently—in preschool, school, and other more challenging situations.
You’ll gain inspiration and a comprehensive framework for naturally and systematically incorporating these tools into your daily practice.
Capacity: 15
Instructor: Daniela Fremuntová, Czech Association of Children’s Yoga
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Daniela Fremuntová is an elementary school teacher and yoga instructor. She has extensive experience working with children and leads workshops for children’s yoga instructors and educators. In her workshops, she combines her classroom experience with the principles of yoga and demonstrates creative techniques that teachers can naturally incorporate into their regular lessons.
She is a member of the teaching team at the Czech Association of Children’s Yoga (CADJ) and the author of Jógalovánek, a creative project that combines yoga techniques with cooperative games, coloring books, stories, and mindful activities for children. She is also contributing several mindfulness and yoga techniques to a first-grade science textbook for grades 1 and 2, which is being developed in collaboration with the educational organization TEREZA and Vividbooks.
"I believe that yoga techniques can be a natural part of education and provide support to both children and teachers in everyday school life."
📅 May 29, 2026 | 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
📍Alšova South Bohemian Gallery – Wortner House
The Creative Play Method for Working with Preschool-Aged Children.
How can you create with children in a way that’s fun for them? You’ll learn about the creative play method, which helps children develop creativity, dexterity, and independent thinking. This method was developed at the Říčany Museum and today serves as a comprehensive approach for anyone seeking a natural way to foster children’s creativity. Get plenty of inspiration for using natural materials. Get started on activities that will be meaningful for both you and the children!
Creative play will show you ways to prepare a stimulating and safe environment for children, teach them the rules for handling various materials and real tools—and let them think, create, experiment, and play.
In this workshop, you’ll learn the basic principles and rules of creative play, and through many concrete examples from practice, you’ll gain inspiration on how to start creating “a little differently.” Whether in preschool, at home, or in an after-school program. Children’s creative activities don’t have to be a factory where kids create according to pre-set instructions and then hand in their finished products for the bulletin board.
Capacity: 15
Instructor: Carolina Sidon, Říčany Museum
