Throw the Paint Brush Away and Get Creative!

When I had my own classroom expressing ourselves through art was a daily component of our learning process.  My son is 14 months and I have been trying to introduce art to him in various modes like footprint painting, edible paints on a canvas, bathtub crayons, etc.  I recently found an art studio nearby that offers art classes for children starting at the age of one.  Now that the subzero temperatures are hopefully out of sight until next winter, I plan on getting him in there a few times a month.

There are numerous benefits of incorporating art into the lives of young children such as:

• Math awareness- colors, shapes, forms and lines.
• Development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
• Individual expression.
• Social skills; talking about their own artwork as well as their peers. 
• Decision making and problem solving skills.
• Science Awareness- mixing/changing colors, textures, bubbles, solids/liquids, etc.
•  Pre-writing opportunities.

We have started an art box with washable paint, paper, canvases, chalk, etc.  Painting doesn't always have to be with a paintbrush in hand.  There are many everyday household items lying around that can turn into a new method of painting. 

 

 

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