Art Is Time, Materials and Messy!

In last week’s blog, I wrote about the benefits of your child’s creativity and imagination.  While there are many activities for creative expression such as songs, dramatizing stories, writing, and building with blocks, this week the focus is art. 

During the art experience, I encourage interacting with your child without directing actions or making a picture yourself (might be perceived as a model by your child). Do ask your child what other things might be added, or what might happen next; this will encourage her descriptions and language development.  Avoid asking, “What is it?”  Let your child tell you.  The creative work may simply be an exploration of the materials.  You might encourage her by saying, “I love the purple paint you are using” or “what great lines you are drawing”.

Two and three year olds explore the sensory nature of materials, how things feel or the cause and effect of them (such as glue and wood).  So the creations will not usually represent an object.  Supply lots of types of paper, glue, yarn, wood pieces, play dough, markers, crayons, and color pencils.  While stamps and ink and stickers do not encourage as much creativity, they do give the younger child a sense of completion (and are products of cause and effect). 

As your child becomes four years old, she is beginning to represent materials for items, people or actions.  (The same is true in beginning writing.)  Markers, pens, pencils, paints, finger paint, water colors, glue, scraps of fabric, glitter, yarn, and ribbon all are put to good use.  I recommend a vinyl table cloth for art time.  You may want to date the ‘products’ and  observe the progression in her development such as representing items, being able to use those fingers on smaller items, having more control of markers and pencils, and describing her work.

It is important to examine your own feelings of creativity. Some of us became inhibited in school, with coloring books, or the thoughts of things having to be perfect; just the feelings we want our children avoid developing.  As I have written previously, your child is a ‘pro’ at sensing your emotions and nonverbal communication. 

What is essential is extended periods of time and being able to make a mess.  The environment for creativity is somewhat free of distractions (television on).  I am a true believer in children seeing famous artists’ work.  We rotate prints from Monet, Renoir, Cassett, etc. in the playroom, just so our granddaughter sees different works.  Sometimes we have modern pieces, sculptures from Native American tribes, or folk-art.  Creative expression is a time for open-ended thinking and work. Pearl Buck said, “Growth itself contains the germ of happiness.”