Lower School Blog: Exploring Art with Young Children

Lower School Blog: Exploring Art with Young Children

“We do not teach a child to draw by having him draw but by giving him the opportunity to prepare his means of expression. I consider this to be a great aid to free drawing…”

- Maria Montessori in Discovery of the Child

All children are born to create and it is our task to keep intact this innate ability. We all create through different outlets and media and how we express ourselves is thus considered artistic. There is nothing more joyful to witness than the excitement of a child painting with bold colors, gluing a collage design, or exploring how watercolors blend. One should also consider arranging flowers, setting a beautiful table or presenting a lovely array of food on a platter as art; they certainly are personally expressive.

Expression and Appreciation in Your Home

Aesthetics appreciation can easily become an everyday event. It can be explored with familiar objects that relate to the child’s life and with a wide variety of media. Have a few sculptures, textiles, and framed works at your child’s height so they can appreciate them. (Keep anything very valuable or fragile out of reach.) When allowing time and space for creating, introduce different materials a few at a time, adding something new as the child becomes more confident in making choices and using them. One doesn’t need a box of sixty-four crayons; three to five are a good start. Remember that art for these younger folks is about the process not the final product.

  1. To start, make sure your home is not cluttered. Set up an engaging space for you and your child in which to create. Show your child how to use whatever materials properly and respectfully and how to clean up and put them away. If they are not being used properly, remove them for now and offer again later.
  2. Rotate materials. For example, with glue work, start with paper shapes. Later add felt or cut outs from newspapers or cards. With bead stringing, use hemp, pipe cleaners, and yarn. As your child gets older, encourage making jewelry or mobiles.
  3. Draw on foggy windows, and in sand and snow. Use nature as a canvas. How wonderful that a stick is like a long-handled brush or stylus.
  4. Have your child create for special occasions, introducing a new process as part of your cultural celebrations, such as making centerpieces for a holiday or making a card for a birthday.
  5. Add art books to your family library and read with your child about artists and their styles. Maybe that will spark a new idea for them to try.

To keep your child’s masterpieces alive and not add more clutter to your house, decide which ones to showcase, which ones to reuse as cards or wrapping paper, and which ones to recycle. You can buy frames that open and close to change out artwork or use clothespins to hang art on a line. You can create booklets of your child’s art to be archived (put dates on them); look at them later to make note of their progression. 

How to Talk about Art with Your Child 

The focus of any art form for children of this age is the process. There is so much to talk about and your conversations will build critical thinking and observation skills. As your child develops more language, ask them to tell you details and feelings, guiding them away from asking you if you like it or think it is good. We do not want to criticize or look at how to improve their art. We also do not want to add our adult perspectives or talk more than what the child wants to tell us. Most times all the child wants is acknowledgment. So if they come to you to show you their finished product, you can share in their excitement and simply thank them for sharing it with you.

  1. Describe what the child is doing. “I see you were using the side of the crayon.” “You covered the whole paper with blue lines.”
  2. Let the child name their scribbles. A circle can be the sun one day or a face the next. Never assume you know what the picture is. It may even not be anything at all but an expression of a feeling or dream or just an exploration of the process.
  3. Ask what is happening to the subject in their drawing, leading them to think about their different senses. For example, if your child comes and tells you this is a dog, you can acknowledge by asking “Is your dog soft?” “Does your dog bark?”
  4. Add language. You can point out the color used, what type of line is made, and what materials have been explored. You can ask how the child feels, making sure you are not reading too much into their expression.

Museum Outings

Visiting museums is a wonderful way to introduce children to the finest artwork. We are lucky to live in an area where admission is free for most galleries so that we do not feel guilty for spending a short time or seeing only one exhibit while there. Choose one that relates to their world and interests, planning the trip knowing which exhibits to visit right away. It may be a short time at first but will gradually increase as their endurance matures. Insist upon proper museum behavior and manners.

  1. Engage in open conversation, reiterating their statements thus allowing for them to slow down and observe.
  2. Add more movement and strike a pose! Can they match the facial expressions or body position in the painting?
  3. Ask questions, such as, “What is going on in this painting?” “What makes you think that?” “What do you see?” “How do you feel?” Ask questions that connect them to art like “What do you think the flowers smell like?” Your child may or may not answer, which is fine. As the child’s language expands, conversations can become deeper.
  4. Play I Spy games.
  5. Ask if they see other similar pieces. Help them make connections. 
  6. Visit the gift shop first and buy a postcard that the child likes. Go and find that art in the gallery.

Montessori acknowledges that art is a process of artistic expression, not something to encourage a child to create for someone else. There needs to be a balance so that the child is free to create just because. Art should always be available for the child to explore. Enjoy experiencing all art forms with your children as they grow. Maybe you will learn something too and find your passion in whatever expression of art fits you!

Nicole Barba

Toddler Lead Teacher, Sassafras Class

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