Art is a huge part of the early childhood experience; it develops fine motor and cognitive skills, exposes children to new textures, colors, and tools, and it's fun! But there are two different types of art: process and product. Product art is closed-ended, meaning it begins at the end; children are told what they should make and how they should make it. Does that sound like fun? It can be, but what is more fun and educational is process art; open-ended projects that allow children to use materials any way they want.
Why is it, then, that so many young children are having their creativity reigned in by closed-ended crafts? The answer; teachers want to maintain control. But parents don't want to see art a teacher dictated; they want to see their child's imagination come to life.
Take, for example, this rainbow...
At first glance, you might think, "A child made this." Perhaps a child did make it, (a child with very developed fine motor skills) and perhaps that child came up with the concept all on their own... but most likely, an adult made this as an example for children to follow. I call this "repeat-after-me art." It is closed-ended; there is only one way to do it right.
Here is a second rainbow...
This is what happens when children are shown a rainbow, like the one above, and told to copy it. Every child in the room ends up creating the exact same thing; boring! And how do you think this child felt when they looked at their rainbow and then at their teacher's "perfect" rainbow? Asking children to replicate what you made is cruel; you are setting them up for disappointment.
(It is for this reason that I rarely draw alongside children- they inevitably get discouraged when my picture is "better" or "right" or "prettier.")
Now, let's take a look at a third rainbow...
Wow. THIS is open-ended children's art and I LOVE IT. You can tell that this child was not shown an example to copy, but provided a variety of materials and told, "Go." Look at the placement of the pom-poms. Look at the mixing of colors. I find this way more beautiful than either rainbow above because it came from a child's mind, was made by a child's hands, and represents the point of view of that specific child. It is truly their art.
And now look at a wall full of open-ended rainbows...
I mean come on! These rainbows are far more fascinating than a wall full of copy-cat, repeat-after-me rainbows. Some of these children chose to attempt a traditional rainbow, others went off-road. Either way, there was not a teacher hovering over them, telling them where to place each piece of paper. And they still got the fine motor and cognitive development plus creative expression.
Now, you may be thinking, "But doesn't the fact that they are being told to make a rainbow make it closed-ended?" Sort of... but within the concept, the children were allowed the freedom to make their own kind of rainbow. I count it as a win.
Children can learn the order of the rainbow colors from books, pictures, TV, or looking at a real rainbow. When it comes to art, they should be able to make any rainbow they choose. And if it were me, and a child asked if they could use the cardboard and other materials to make, say, a dinosaur instead, I would tell them, "Let's see that dinosaur."
For some teachers, giving up control is hard because they can't predict the mess that might be made or the aesthetics of the finished project. My advice? Embrace chaos. When children enjoy the process, it will show in the product, especially when it's not "perfect."
If your child always comes home from daycare with cookie-cutter, repeat-after-me art they clearly did not make on their own, think about asking their teacher to change it up, or talk to the director. Send them this blog post! If you come from a place of encouragement and enthusiasm, the center should be receptive to constructive criticism.
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