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Art
Art is important for children’s creative
development as well as all other aspects of development. Specifically it enhances their literacy development by
allowing them to reflect and expand on stories, create their own
stories, and develop their creative and emotional expression in a safe
and accepting environment. This is an important part of learning how to
express themselves and to communicate.
When children engage in art activities they are using fine motor
skills, which enhances writing skills.
Writing down the children’s description of their artwork is a
great way to build vocabulary and it helps children make the connection
between thoughts, spoken, and written words.
Describing artwork also helps children develop verbal
communication and comprehension skills.
The
paint center should be open to the children every day. A wide variety of
supplies and materials are available for the children to use in their
creative processes. The
creativity center can also available to the children each day and it too
offers a multitude of creative art materials for the children to
explore. Literacy is supported in a wide variety of ways in these two
parts of the art area.
Goals:
In the art area
children are given the opportunities to learn important art concepts and
creativity as well as to practice decision making, learn about cause and
effect, identify colors and shapes, refine hand-eye coordination,
develop small and large muscle skills, express feelings, practice
sharing, experience pride, and much more!
Area:
When selecting
an art area it is a good idea to choose a place with plenty of room for
more then one child to work at a time. Choose a location with
washable flooring and a nearby water source if possible.
Equipment:
Equipment you may wish to
offer in the art area are a child sized table and chairs, a drying rack
or place to hang finished art that needs to dry, and easel space.
Easels can be made or purchased. Try using wall space and adding a
dry erase board with clips to serve as easel space.
Supplies:
Art supplies you will
want to offer should include materials for painting, drawing,
pasting/gluing, and sculpting or molding. Click on Art
Supplies for a list of basic supplies to stock your art area with.
Other materials may need to be purchased for specific activities you may
wish to offer.
Some programs offer
the art area as a free choice area for the children to use at their own
discretion. Other programs may offer a specific
"project" to do in the art area with a teacher working
directly with the children. Still others may try to offer a little
of both. Keep in mind the goals you have set for your program and
what purpose you want your art area to serve.
"Cutesy Crafts" are seldom age
appropriate and offer very little creative expression. Remember
"It 's the Process, Not the Product" that is important when
young children explore art. So for the majority of your art
activities stick to open ended activities that offer plenty of room for
creative expression and exploration of materials and techniques.
Activities:
Art activities
are found throughout the Preschool Themes found in the Preschool
Room.
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Using large sheets of butcher paper or
newsprint, cut shapes for children to paint at the easel based on
what theme or unit you are covering.
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Paint with different items other then
paint brushes, try feathers, scrub brushes, sponges, pine tree
branches, marbles, corn cobs, bubble wrap, bubbles, freeze watered
down paint in ice cube trays with Popsicle sticks to paint with ice
pops!
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Play music for the children as they
paint and ask them to paint how they think the music feels.
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Make different kinds of paint or clay
to use in the art area. Visit the Craft
Recipes page for some fun craft recipes!
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Paper plates are great
for creating collages, masks or puppets! Offer a variety of
items for the children to use to create these one of a kind
masterpieces. (Hint, add food coloring to the glue for added
fun- we make red glue and give the kids shredded yellow paper, red
pom-poms, green scraps of felt and call them Pizza Collages!)
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Try adding other
products to your glue or paint to add color and texture. Such
as sand, glitter or food coloring, and shaving cream.
Centers:
Additional Centers:
Sculpting Center- In
this center there is always a sculpting medium available for the
children to manipulate. Change the medium weekly to give the children a
chance to work with different textures and materials. Try offering
different types of play-dough, clay, and other sculpting materials.
Provide real sculptures for children to explore and hang pictures of
different sculptures in the area. Offer books with pictures of
sculptures in them for the children to look at.
Pottery Center-
Provide the children with clay for making pinch pots and other pottery
items. Demonstrate how to make simple pots by pinching or coiling.
Again, posters, books, and real items are a great addition to this
center. Allow the children to create one of a kind masterpieces they can
take home. Crayola® Model
Magic Clay is great for these types of projects
because it dries so quickly.
Tips:
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Let children tell you about their art,
don't assume you know what they are drawing or painting, etc.
Opened ended questions such as "Tell me about your
picture" will allow children to to talk about their
creations without feeling judged or pressured to describe something
specific. Avoid using words like "pretty",
"great", or lovely, or asking "what is it."
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Add a little dish soap to paints to
make them wash out easier. Washable paints can be purchased
too.
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Save small plastic containers to use
for paints, glue, small collage items. etc.
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Label container for tools with
pictures as well as written words to make clean up easier for kids.
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Hang
plastic hooks on a nearby wall for easy storage and access of paint
shirts.
Resources:
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