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Art is not just a subject that makes something look beautiful, it is an important part of early childhood education, enhancing growth in thinking, feelings, and in social skills. Based on the development of children, art can be regarded as a medium through which young children are allowed to investigate, comprehend, and respond to the appearances of the world. As children create art, they experiment and explore new concepts to get meaning out of the world. They materialize their thoughts and feelings into something tangible that they can view. The creation of art helps young children in developing thinking skills, realizing their feelings, and relating well with others. With these arts, the child learns to love uncertainty, to risk, and to build strategies for divergent thinking that will be of great use later on for innovative thinking and problem-solving.
Learning experiences sorted by age
0-2 Years:
Sensory Paint Play: making infants to explore the texture and color through touch by using edible, nontoxic paints.
Body Movement Art: Creating big artwork with greater body movement in a slight intervention.
2-3 Years:
Finger Painting Fun: Playing with color and texture without looking for results.
Nature Collage Making: collection and pasting of nature materials on gummed papers.
3-5 Years:
Shadow puppeteers: create stories from the hand shadow with artistic character development.
Recycled Material Sculpture: Creation of three-dimensional artwork using household recyclables.
6-8 Years:
Making Comics: Creating Skills for Storytelling with words and pictures.
Collaborative Mural Painting: Teaming up on large-scale painting projects.
Theories and Views on Creativity
Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence - This theory views artistic expression as a different form of intelligence altogether. It affirms that creativity is not uniformly characteristically specified; rather, it is of many types. According to this perspective on early childhood, visual-spatial intelligence is supported as a valid and vital method of learning and communication.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice – This theory focuses on the coherence of the creative activities with the thinking and feeling stages of children's development. As such, it facilitates creative tasks that are achievable but challenging, hence generating the child's love for learning through active engagement.
Resources for Art Exploration
Visual Arts Supplies: Watercolor sets, Tempera paints, Washable markers, Colored pencils, Variety of paper (textured, colored, recycled), Child-safe scissors, Glue sticks, Bottle caps, Wooden blocks, drawing apps, Stop-motion animation tools. Reference Books like: "Process-Focused Art for Young Children" by Deborah Hewitt.
Critical Reflection
As an emerging early childhood educator, my personal creative characteristics significantly enhance my capacity to facilitate artistic exploration. My natural curiosity and willingness to embrace uncertainty create an environment where children feel empowered to experiment without fear of failure. I recognize that creativity is not about producing perfect artifacts but about the transformative journey of exploration and self-discovery.
My strength lies in creating flexible, responsive learning environments that honor each child's unique creative expression. By practicing active listening and observation, I can design experiences that scaffold children's emerging creative capabilities. My approach emphasizes process over product, understanding that the most profound learning occurs during moments of playful exploration and genuine engagement.
I am committed to continuous professional learning, staying informed about contemporary research in early childhood creativity and remaining open to innovative pedagogical approaches. This reflective practice ensures that my teaching remains dynamic, responsive, and authentically child-centered.
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