Painting and drawing is such a satisfying learning experience for young children – through painting they express their feelings, experience, heighten their thinking skills and develop their fine motor skills.
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Children experience painting and drawing best when adults let them explore in their own way. They try out different colours, brush and crayon sizes and ways to make different marks. Children usually paint or draw what they know and what is important to them. Often children’s art are representations – it may not look to us anything to us, but the marks and colours represent an image to the child. Asking a child to tell you about their picture is a great way for them to learn about communicating their thoughts and feelings.
Education theories for young children see painting, drawing and other forms of art as a language that children use to express themselves and to think and reflect about what they know and are coming to know. Adults can guide children in the use of the materials, coaching on the use of the techniques such as getting paint on the brush and pointing out the effects of thick and thin brushes or looking at the difference between drawing with crayon, chalk or pencils on difference surfaces.
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Education theories for young children see painting, drawing and other forms of art as a language that children use to express themselves and to think and reflect about what they know and are coming to know.
Children experience painting and drawing best when adults let them explore in their own way. They try out different colours, brush and crayon sizes and ways to make different marks.
Adults can guide children in the use of the materials, coaching on the use of the techniques such as getting paint on the brush and pointing out the effects of thick and thin brushes or looking at the difference between drawing with crayon, chalk or pencils on difference surfaces.
Research has shown how young children’s engagement in painting and other art forms has an impressive impact on brain development. Working creatively through painting can create good neural circuits within the brain.
When finger painting or holding a brush or pencil children gain muscle control and develop their fine motor skills which sets the foundation for learning to write.
Children develop their hand eye co-ordination by controlling where they want to make brush strokes or pencil marks. At first very young children will explore what marks they can make and as they gain confidence and control, they will purposefully plan for their marks to represent their ideas and feelings.
Through their artwork, children represent ideas and things they are familiar with like whanau, home life and the things around them. Teachers support children’s communication skills as they ask them to describe their creations.
Often centres will do a group mural on a fence or wall that allows children to make a cooperative painting and discuss their ideas with each other.
Through experimenting with colour and texture, children learn how they can change things. For example, mixing two colours creates a new colour. Learning they are able to do this makes them feel proud. Children practice making their own decisions and determining outcomes.
Through the use of colour, shape and form, children express themselves in ways they do not yet have words for. They can express their moods and feelings in a way that helps them identify how they feel. With support and encouragement from adults they can learn to work with their feelings in healthy ways.
Drawing with crayons, pastels, chalk or HB pencils supports children learning about heavy and light marks and as they get older about shading.
Painting and Drawing |
Peita me te Tuhi
Try having a variety of surfaces to paint or draw on– use an easel, a table, cardboard, wood, stones or paper or a fence (for water painting!)
Toddlers love to draw with chalk on a small blackboard or on concrete – you could take a photo of their drawing so they can revisit it with you.
Have different types of paints like powder paint, water colours, acrylic paint or natural products like watered down clay to help children explore textures and thicknesses of paint and see how it moves on the surface they are applying it to.
A range of painting utensils really makes things interesting. Brushes, sponges, rollers and leaves allows children to experiment with different types of application and see the effect each has. They can then select their preferred utensils to create the artwork they desire.
Over time children will learn how to make variations to the colour. Talk to them about primary colours, bright vs dark colours, shades of colour.
A helpful hint for getting paint out of clothes is to add a little bit of detergent to the paint.
Children usually paint or draw what they know and what is important to them. Often children’s art are representations – it may not look to us anything to us, but the marks and colours represent an image to the child. Asking a child to tell you about their picture is a great way for them to learn about communicating their thoughts and feelings.
Continuing the learning at home
