Most children love art activities. Art activities are a great way for your child to have a time to explore and create without a parent instructing them on what to do and how to do it. It is important that you do not make this into a "craft" time with required projects and results. Give your child the opportunity to have unscheduled time to develop their creativity!
Some important things to allow your child to choose:
Have a selection of art supplies and allow your child to choose to do whatever he wants. Collect a variety of items for art and put them into a storage box. Then pull out a selection of materials for your child to use that day. Do not plop the box down in front of them and let them "have-at-it!" Most children will either get overwhelmed and use nothing or open every marker and glue bottle you give them. Just take out a few items and do not give any instruction. If they squeeze all of the $.20 bottle of glue onto a piece of paper, don't worry. Squeezing glue is a great way to increase fine motor skills and eventually he will learn how to squeeze the right amount. Walk away and take a deep breath... it will be okay! (Use caution with scissors or your child may have a brand new haircut, or the younger sibling will!)
Some ideas:
1. Have him use the glue, tape, scissors, and paper to make a creation.
2. Have her use markers, crayons, or color pictures with plain paper to draw or write.
3. Give a selection of color sheets to color with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
4. Give lined paper with pencils or crayons with no instruction.
5. Have old magazines around with scissors to cut and glue pictures.
6. Use water colors or paint by number per colored books for painting.
7. Ask your local decorating or paint store for old wallpaper books and use those for cutting and tearing projects (they don't always have to use scissors- tearing is important too!).
Most of all, try to limit your instructions and let your child explore. Messes will clean up easily!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Preschool Scheduling: Free Time With Art
Posted by Unknown at 8:20 AM
Labels: art, time management
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3 comments:
Great ideas! We like to let our preschooler do art with "junk"! Before garbage day we often pull a few things out of the recycle bin and let her make a collage or sculpture.
You're so right about not just putting a big box of stuff in front of them. I've done that before, just out of my own enthusiasm for cool art materials, but it never works out. The only thing we get is frustration and a huge mess!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Recycled items make great art projects! And thanks Chris- most of us make that mistake and hate art projects- just a few items and everyone is happy!
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