What is
Child Art?
CHILDREN love art
because it’s fun and provides them with authentic self-expression, but how
important is art to a child’s healthy development? Children’s art is many
things to many people. To a parent, art is a display of a child’s imagination.
To an educator, it’s a teaching tool. To a psychologist, art is a way to understand
a child’s mind. To a grandparent, it’s a way to feel connected. To a librarian,
it’s a way to enhance book knowledge. To a child, art is a way to have fun,
make decisions, and express choices. Picasso wrote, “Every child is an artist. The
problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Is children’s art an act
of genius? Are children more creative than adults? Perhaps, the spontaneity of
children’s art is in their imagination. Child art simply impressed Picasso,
like most child behavior, is direct and uncensored. A young child doesn’t analyze
his work – he paints freely and with pleasure, enjoying the fine and gross
motor experience of moving paint over paper and watching lines, shapes, and colors
come to life. Art puts a child in the “driver’s seat” and provides freedom: the
freedom of choice, thought, and feeling.
“Every
child is an artist.
The
problem is how
to
remain an artist
once
he grows up.”
—PABLO
PICASSO
Art is a
Language
Do you remember seeing a photograph that communicated a whole
world of feeling? Perhaps it was a famous photograph or simply a family
snapshot that captured the richness of a special moment. A picture is often worth
a thousand words. Visual images communicate emotions and complexities in a way
that words cannot. The ability to communicate non-verbally is particularly
important for children. Art is a powerful tool that gives children the ability to
express their thoughts and emotions long before they can fully express
themselves with words. Once you acknowledge that art is a language, the importance
of respecting a child’s artwork becomes obvious.
Enjoy,
Ms. Nora Sierra
EC Assistant Principal
Discovery School
