Art is a Language, Your Child Can “Speak” it!
Expressing yourself through art is like expressing yourself through writing. Your child has things they want to communicate…
“I love my family”
“The leaves are changing colors”
“I made a new friend”
…and they use art materials (paint, paper, clay) to express those ideas. This process is “creative expression”, and it’s important for your child’s development. It’s a highly sensory experience that teaches cause and effect, emotional expression, and more.
How Does Art Benefit Your Child?
Studies show a correlation between art engagement at home and positive developmental outcomes for children of all ages. Physically, art engagement builds children’s fine motor and visual perception skills. Emotionally, creative expression is linked to greater self-perception and self-esteem. Academically, creative expression improves language skills and makes children more likely to succeed in academic settings. Children who engage with art demonstrate more creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills. Providing art experiences for your child is like giving them a golden ticket for their future!
There are two essential ways you can support your child’s creative expression:
- Connect them to art materials.
- Focus on process over product.
Connecting Your Child to Art Materials
This first point seems obvious: if you’re going to make art, you need something to make it with! Think of art supplies your child can use easily, without assistance.
Low difficulty (low mess, simple fine motor skills): paper, crayons, color pencils, markers, stickers, glue sticks, scissors, air-dry clay. We love these washable tempera paint sticks, and these woodless color pencils.
Medium difficulty (medium mess, more challenging fine motor skills): liquid paste, tape, paint, beads, pipe cleaners, hole or shape punches, modeling clay.
Complex difficulty (higher mess, require strong fine-motor skills): brads, stamps with ink, fabric paint, washi tape
Create a space in your home where your child can store their art materials, and use them freely. You can rotate out materials your child has lost interest in, and introduce new ones. A small shelf in the kitchen or next to the bathroom gives them access to water to clean their paint brush. You can even give them an apron or smock to wear while they’re doing messier projects!
Focusing on Process Over Product
Let your child be present in the moment of creation. Set up projects without a determined “finished product”. Giving children a template or asking them to create something recognizable creates an expectation that there is a “right” and “wrong” way to create. Instead, step back and let your child concentrate. Don’t try to guess what they’re making, or suggest what materials to use next. Let them decide when they’re finished, then ask them about what they’ve done:
- How did they make it?
- What supplies did they use?
- What were they thinking about when they made it?
- How do they feel about what they did?
Practice noticing their work without judgement. You’re creating emotional space for EXPLORATION without EXPECTATIONS! When your child is finished, take a moment to appreciate (not praise) their work. Here’s a very detailed guide on how to talk with your child from an art appreciation perspective.
What Should Art With Children Look Like at Preschool?
At Lakewood Montessori in Boise, we’ve created a special place for children’s ideas to come to life. It’s our art studio! Here, we practice art instruction in a way that connects your child with the materials they need to express themselves. Just like our library is packed with books, our studio is packed with materials. We set up our studio so that materials are on the shelf, ready to be used.
Most importantly, we use a process-based approach in our studio (learn about process-based art from the NAEYC). Process-based art supports a child’s social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development! It’s beautifully aligned with the Montessori method, because it emphasizes child-led creation.
What are the essential elements of the process-based studio? It’s about more than having an easel!
The Process-Based Studio
A process-based space for art is:
- Open-ended: There’s not a strict template to follow or a product to produce. Your child is in charge of *what* to say, and we’re providing the materials for them to choose *how* to say it.
- Child-led: Your child is in charge of what goes into their project (within reasonable limits)! Do they want to focus more on gluing feathers or painting the background? Their choices matter in a process-based studio.
- Experimental: It’s okay to try new things! We welcome mistakes, they’re often the best teachers.
- Sensory: Rich colors, slippery paint, rough cardboard, crinkly newspaper, sticky glue… all of these sensory impressions are absorbed by your child!
- Supported: The teacher is side-by-side with your child, asking questions and actively problem-solving when it’s needed. The studio space is prepared by the teacher to be accessible to the child: tables and chairs at the right height, containers for water and paint that your child can fill, brushes and clay tools that fit your child’s hand, and materials that are safe to use.
Our goal is that your child is proud of what they make, and that they have fun making it! We want them to know that their thoughts and feelings are important. And we want them to go into the world as joyful, creative learners.
See How We Make Art With Children!
To explore our art space, visit us in Boise! We’re happy to welcome you to look through the materials and art setup in our various spaces (including the studio). Book a tour to see what art implementation looks like in an authentic Montessori setting.
