Art in Early Childhood

I’ve always loved art and believe that truly beautiful creations have the power to transform our minds and hearts.   Beauty can inspire all kinds of good things in one’s life.  Sometimes a simple painting can help one understand something that a million words could not.  I can get lost in viewing cathedral domes or spend an hour staring at a gorgeous tapestry from the middle ages.  Beauty is important, more so than many of us realize.  What would our lives be like if there were nothing beautiful?

How is it that some people seem capable of creating such amazing works of art with such focus – to be able to see something in one’s mind that has never before existed, and then bring it into being for others to see (or hear)?

Well, they were probably allowed to get messy when they were toddlers. Okay, okay – that’s just a little joke, but I do think art in early childhood can influence the ability to think creatively and “outside the box” in adulthood.

Mary Ann Kohl, who has written many children’s art books, and advocates a “process, not product” kind of view when it comes to children and art, sums up exactly how I feel when she writes the following:

“… the doing, exploring, creating, and attempting of new ideas is  more important than the result of your creativity [in early childhood].  You may end up with a painting resembling a muddy smear, but if you tried something new, learned something interesting, or discovered how paint acts, then you had a successful art process.  The product is not as important… Think of your art as ‘experiments’.  Some things will look great and others won’t, but what you learn and discover in the process is worth so much more than perfect looking results.” (Scribble Art, p. 7, emphasis mine).

Experiencing art materials and playing around with various techniques helps a child grow confident in his abilities (not just in art, but in all areas of his life!); it allows him to learn through his senses, which is incredibly important for small children; it gives him a sense of pride in what he can create and accomplish; and it encourages him to experiment in a trial and error sort of way, because there are no expectations put on him, except that he will have fun and enjoy himself.  Remember, to the child the end product is only the result, not the reason for doing art in the first place.

But the mess.  Oh, the mess.  Right??  Well, I’ve had my share of messy art adventures in the past 4 years. Matthew began “doing art” as soon as he was able to sit upright.  I have a few tips, and I’m sure other, more experienced moms have some of their own – leave them in the comments if you do – we will all appreciate them!

Here’s what I’ve found to be helpful:

1. For a baby or young toddler, use a comfortable smock – an old apron is perfect.  Something that ties around them is important, or else you’ll be wiping the paint from their clothes right onto their faces and hair when you take their top off.  I’ve found that plastic smocks are uncomfortable for babies since the plastic bunches up under their chins and gets in the way of “having fun”.
2. Put babies or toddlers in their high chair or booster and scoot them right up to the table so they can not get out with messy hands.
3. When painting, use large sheets of paper.  Freezer paper is perfect!  You can tear off a large piece, it’s inexpensive, and the shiny side is perfect for finger painting while the matte side is good for markers or watercolors.
4. Tape the paper to the table, covering a large area.  This makes it less frustrating for the child, and less messy for you.
5. Use large, chunky paintbrushes, and put paint in a sturdy muffin tin set right on the paper, off to the side (remember you’ve put a very large piece of paper on the table).  This will keep the paint from tipping over.  If some paint is left in your muffin tin, simply cover it with aluminum foil and put it in the fridge to use again later.
6. If your child is safe, but making a mess that you can’t possibly bear to see, walk away and let them have their fun.  Check back in a couple of minutes. There’s nothing that can’t be cleaned; if there is, cover it up before art time begins.
7. Obviously art should only be done over an easy-to-clean surface like the kitchen floor.  Put a towel over the chair, and on the floor too if need be.  Take a look at their happy little face and try not to lose it (this is from a mama that has “lost it” way too many times).  Use only non-toxic paint or other supplies in case they decide to “sample” something while you are cooling off.
8. Have a bath ready when they are done.  Strip ‘em and run to the bath tub, making sure to hold them at arm’s length!  :)
9. Clean up has never been as bad as I imagined.  Take the paper off the table, wipe the table down, throw the paint brushes and other washable items in a sink of soapy water.  Hang the smock over the back of a chair to dry, or toss it in the laundry. Done.
10. On a nice day, have them paint outside, then toss them in the pool for clean up.

Any more tips?  Be sure to leave them in the comments!

Stay tuned – within the next couple of months I’ll post a list of fun open-ended art projects for small children.

Find more art fun at Nicole’s blog Tired, Need Sleep, where she hosts The Art Box, a blog link-up of child-directed artwork, every monday.

No related posts.

Tagged as: written by Nicole