Children CAN Appreciate and Create Art

Thank you for looking in. This is the first entry of many to come.

In my many years of working with children of all ages I have learned much from them. I've developed many of my own ideas and learned from others how to help young children appreciate art and develop their creativity, critical thinking, and motor skills to make their own art.

There are many debates about what can be considered Art. I'm not going to debate whether a banana taped to a wall is art or not, but art is not ONLY in the eye of the beholder. My definition is that art is created when a higher level of thinking is employed. An example would be the difference between blindly following a pattern to copy a specific result. I would call that a craft. On the other hand if the item is created with thoughtful concentration on the process and interjecting personal ideas and choices into the eventual result making it unique, I would call it art. So you may not "behold" a piece of art when you see the results, but the thing in front of you might be art to the creator.

Human's in general have a need to create and feel the joy of seeing their creations appreciated. There are as many ways to make art as there are minds to pursue it. Children need to be exposed to many varied media to create. They need to delve into clay, paint, wood, textiles and other media (as well as music and drama) early to discover what excites them. We are all more excited about learning when we love what we are learning and when our contributions are meaningful. And so much learning beyond art knowledge is naturally imbedded in the process of creating.

Have you heard the saying "We need to teach children HOW to think, not WHAT to think"? That's what happens when we support children in bringing their own ideas to life. To help children understand how to create rather than to copy, we need to help them learn to be present in the moment of creation. To do that, we need to allow their own minds to judge and choose the movements and oblects they apply to their works. Copied crafts have a place in learning skills, but they are only tools to allow children to be confident and daring in bringing their own ideas to life. I will share here both skill building crafts and art projects to explore with your children whether you are Homeschooling Parent, a Preschool Teacher or an Art Teacher.

I welcome comments and questions and I hope to learn more from you as I explore how to use this medium (very new to me).