Curriculum Planning: Art

What can art do for children? It is therapeutic can be an expression of strong feelings A means to express self Children are not yet under the constraints of realism They feel free to represent in their art what matters to them Shows the uniqueness of child’s identity Gives them a sense of accomplishment

What can art do for children? Gives them a heightened awareness and appreciation of the beauty of the visual world Helps them organize and understand the world Visual thinking help intellectual and emotional development Art is a record of growth and the child’s unique way of relating to the world

How to teach art: Each child should feel that his/her art is taken seriously, understood, commented on, and appreciated It sometimes seems funny, but remember the intention is serious Don’t judge or inhibit spontaneous expression

How to teach art How to respond: What does it represent? Tell me about it. How is it organized? What is it about? Where does the idea come from?

When teaching art Expect a mess Help child feel safe with a mess by wearing smocks if needed Encourage children to try using materials in different ways “I wonder if the bottom side of the crayon will work the same way as the pointed end” Get excited about their discoveries and share you own discoveries as you work along with them

Stages of Art in Preschool Scribbling: begins at 18 months usually with zig zags. By age 3, uses shapes in scribbling.

Stages of Art in Preschool Pre-schematic: 4 year olds try to represent things, but colors are not realistic

Remember: When teaching art, it is the PROCESS not the PRODUCT that is important

Art Activities for Children Some ideas include: Cooked play dough Tissue paper art Tie die art Eye dropper art Foam art Milk art Pasta art Leaf print art

Activity: From the art activities included, write a description about which would be your favorite art activity to teach. Explain why it is your favorite and why you think children would enjoy participating in the activity. Then, explain how you would teach the activity to children.