Creative Art Tricks Encourage Maturity

Parents and teachers have many opportunities to help children develop mentally, socially and emotionally. rnArt Promotes CreativityrnOne of the goals for art education, whether in the home or school, is to make kids more creative in spite of where their creativity will be used. Parents know that even siblings are highly individual. No two youngsters convey themselves the same way. Creativity brings out the child's personality. Montessori training says “To repress these individual differences, to highlight the final product, to reward one youngster over another, goes against the basic premises of creative expression." When parents view their child's artwork, they understand the creative process involved is of great value to the developing child. In other words, the process is more significant than the product. Parents may support their children to experiment with art products in the following ways: • Have confidence in your child's art work and tell them so. • Accept a child's creative products without placing a value judgment on the item. • Make optimistic comments as to how the child solves a problem in relating to his work. • State the self-assurance you have in the child to make the product exceptional. Art Builds Self-ConfidencernParents who support the creative skills of pretending, imaginative thinking, fantasizing and creativeness help their child deal with the world in which they live. And these skills will help in problem solving, getting along with others and accepting their world. When used in art and other areas, these skills build self-confidence necessary for now and for the future. Art Teaches Task AnalysisrnWhat happens when adults are faced with a strange project--one that has numerous difficult parts and no prior experience? We either break it down into smaller, controllable sections--or give up. Kids who do not know this process often quit. Art is an area that teaches a task analysis. Learning how one begins a project, then continues to the end must be taught. Parents must understand this process as a learning experience and a central part of child development. Art Promotes Group and Individual ProjectsrnOne of the developmental tasks for young kids is to help them grow from self-centered individuals into youngsters who can work and play cooperatively. Art projects allow an opportunity to work with others. Example by preschool teacher training, look at how using clay shows the stages of play. In adjacent play or social coactions preschoolers may play or work near others but hardly ever come in contact. Kids may sit near others, yet work on their own project. In associative play, they may borrow or lend clay to a child nearby. Then, there is the higher form of play known as cooperative play. In this form kids really share ideas and work together on a project. Possibly they make a collage from clay, use all the pieces to make a road, or create a design with everyone involved. rnStages of Art DevelopmentrnBy understanding the developmental stages children progress through when drawing, you will be able to allow your child to convey themselves spontaneously. • Ages 2 -3--scribbling. All children, regardless of their culture, make the same markings, in the same way at just about the same age. • Ages 2-4--scribbles take shape and look like circles, ovals, squares and triangles • Ages 3-5--children begin to make designs from the shapes they have been drawing. • Ages 4-5--designs take on the form of peoplern• Age 5-6--children are at the symbolic stage When parents understand the various stages all children go through, they will know it’s the child's first step in the developmental process of learning to draw. Art Ideas by Teacher TrainingrnCreative art can't be saved for a precise time. It should be part of a child's day. Use some of the following ideasrn• String Painting--Dip short lengths of string into tempera. Place between a folded paper and pull. • Finger Painting--Use slick paper for project. Apply finger or whole hand approach. • Straw Painting--Use slick paper, drops of paint and blow with straws for a design. • Tissue Collage--Place pieces of torn tissue on a sheet of construction paper. Paint over with liquid starch. Allow to dry. • Textured Painting--Add ingredients, such as crushed eggshells, sawdust, sand or coffee grinds and a small amount of glue to paint. Draw a simple design on paper. Sprinkle the mixture on the design and shake off the excess. Conclusion:rnArt promotes creativity, builds self-confidence, teaches task analysis and contribute in group work as well as individuals.