Importance of Art in Facilitating Creativity in Young Children
Art can develop the creativity of children in early childhood education. Art offers children an effective medium through which they can exhibit their views, emotions, and identities through forms such as drawing, painting, and sculpture. Using art materials such as crayons, clay, paint, etc. helps children improve their fine motor skills as well as sensory awareness. Art helps children learn about textures, shapes and colors while sharpening their critical and creative thinking skills. When creating art, children must experiment and troubleshoot; thus, art fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Best of all, art provides children with a way to connect their inner world with the outer world to construct their identity and understand their surroundings (Davey, n.d.)
Theories and Perspectives on Creativity in Art
Creativity of art can affect the learning process based on different theories.
Vygotsky emphasized that social interaction and environmental objects were the defining factors of more creativity. Art promotes growth, interaction with other people, which is congruent to this theory.
Howard Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences Gardner named among the intelligences referred to visual-spatial intelligence as one of the main dimensions of creativity in art. Children learn this kind of intelligence by playing with color, pattern and form.
Reggio Emilia Approach -The approach emphasizes on the phrase: the hundred languages of children where the art is an essential means of expression and communication. It makes children discover and create their own way of art in various forms of art.
Resources, Materials, and Digital Technologies
To engage students to be creative with the help of art, teachers should offer different opportunities with the help of materials and tools:
Primordial Supplies: Crayons, paints, markers, clay, glue, scissors and textured materials such as leaves and cloth.
Natural Materials: Flowers, stones and sand stimulating hands-on experience.
Digital Tools: Interactive drawing applications (e.g. Sketchbook) and visiting virtual museums provide new methods of interaction with art by the children.
Craft material: Easels, paper, stamps, foil and recycled material to facilitate open ended creative expression.
Learning Experiences for Different Age Groups
0–2 Years:
- Finger painting with harmless paints to explore texture and color.
- Playing with different types of colors, papers and soft materials to develop fine motor skills.
- 2–3 Years:
- Cartoon puppet making with hand materials, sketch pens and paper.
- Drawing on color paper with jumbo crayons to encourage mark-making and sketching.
- 3–5 Years:
- Drawing illustrations based on a story read during the session.
- Collaborative painting of a mural to encourage teamwork and creativity.
- Understanding how teamwork benefits and works by encouraging in such type of cartoon, puppet story plays and drama.
- Digital Evidence
- https://youtube.com/shorts/sebFLuIwoIM?feature=share
Critical Reflection and Evaluation
My creative traits that make me very flexible and open-minded as well as being very curious can go a long way in making me foster creativity in my art teaching. I have the inherent inclination of exploring and experimenting and it is this nature that can enable me to create an atmosphere wherein children do not fear to express themselves because of the fear of being judged. Art activities are conducted freely without any restrictions as I want children to explore creativity and come up with their problem-solving methods. The responsiveness to the interests of children can help me to introduce new materials and techniques to them when new opportunities appear.
My understanding of artistic styles and cultural influences is quite high, and I carry variations of materials and ways of doing things into the teaching and practices. I am an evaluative individual who evaluates the effectiveness of the art activities that I design and makes appropriate adjustments to make it more appropriate to the development and creativity of the children. I attempt to strike a balance between organization and liberty proving the children the experience of designing artwork but also leaving space open to free creativity. This adaptation also encourages youthful students to develop resilience and confidence when learning strange methods and mediums. In the end, I will make the classroom where creativity will be highly rewarded, and children will be able to express themselves artistically in a meaningful way.