Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/educationally-appropriate-art-activities-for-young-children/5010840/
The arts have long played an important role in early childhood programs. Unfortunately, too often art activities are not educational - that is, children do not learn nor do they learn about art from them. While early childhood activities need to be developmentally appropriate, they also need to be educationally appropriate.Art activities that are educationally appropriate can serve two purposes:
_ They can help children better understand the world in which they live.
_ They can help children learn about the nature of art.
Art activities can contribute to children's capacity to make and understand meaning (Smith, 1982). Art creations stand for objects, feelings, or ideas. In symbolizing their world in art, children actively engage in making sense of their world. This is seen in the work of the Reggio Emilia preschools in Italy (New, 1990). The schools offer project-like activities where children use their own observations to collect information about various aspects of the world around them. They work with art educators to symbolize their observations. Their art activities help these children to gain meaning from their experiences and to order and express these meanings. Their products are also artistic.
Art is one ...