Let’s create some art!

Art in preschool should be messy and fun!

As a part of our series of posts on play-based learning and free choice centers, this week we will look at art and what it means to a child in preschool!

One of the favorite centers in our classroom is art! This is where children are encouraged to explore, be messy and get creative without any rules! In early childhood, children do what’s called open process art. We focus on the process not the product or outcome which can make for some great creations!

This child created new colors of playdough by mixing them. We help the children explore the different elements to art.

When children are allowed to focus on the process and not the outcome, they are able to explore the world around them in wonderful ways. They learn how to manipulate colors and mix playdough colors to make new colors. They learn to be more confident in their views of the world. They build their self-esteem every time they make a drawing, and it is hung up on the wall for them to see every day.

These are the shape scarecrows that the children created.

We focus on art that helps them develop their fine motor skills as well as emphasizing the math concepts and thematic units that we explore every two weeks. A good example of this are the shape scarecrows they made for our Autumn unit. They had a variety of shapes to use to create what their version of a scarecrow would be. This helped to review our math unit on shapes as well as develop the concept of a scarecrow and how farms use them.

Our art center is one of our most active areas. Children are encouraged to use it every day.

Art is a foundational part of any high-quality early childhood program. We teach the art elements such as lines, texture, shapes, colors and more in ways that the children love. Each month we explore an artist to help them understand the world around them. One month we may focus on Kandinsky and his concentric circles while another month we use different items to create texture in our art.

We make available to the children different tools like scissors, ink stamps, hole punchers, watercolor paints, dot markers and so much more. This enables them to use all their fine motor skills.

If you are interested in learning more about our play-based preschool program, please contact us and schedule a tour. We would love to talk to you!