Art is a favorite activity for most children in child care. However, a few children may be little hesitant to join in the fun. Some children don’t like the mess and don’t want to get dirty. Others may watch from the sidelines or avoid art altogether. Observing children closely will help you understand their reluctance to explore and experiment with art. The following ideas may be helpful as you work with children.
If given …
During the first three years, young children develop their artistic skills by having fun experimenting and learning all the wonderful things they can do. Child care providers need to understand how children’s art abilities develop in order to plan effective art experiences for the child care program.
When babies engage in creative art, it is a whole body experience. They often are as interested in grasping, chewing, pounding and squishing as they are …
During the preschool years, many children show tremendous growth in their creative art abilities. Child care providers can support children’s artistic development by planning art activities that encourage preschoolers’ developing art skills. Here are some basic milestones in preschoolers’ art development:
By age 3, many children are learning to better control their hand and wrist movements. They are making forms and objects that are almost, but not quite, recognizable to adults. Circles, lines …
During the early elementary school years, children spend time refining and expanding on creative art skills and interests learned earlier. Understanding the artistic development of school-age children will help child care providers plan art activities that are appropriate for their developing skills. Here are some characteristics of art in 6 to 8 year olds.
Additional details appear. Around the age of 6, many children begin to add those details they left off earlier—fingers, necks, clothing. Children also may begin to 
When young children are creating art, it’s important for child care providers to remember to praise effort instead of product. Praising the product is very tempting. It’s easy to say, “I love your beautiful painting!” without really thinking about the words. Unfortunately, there are several ways that your well-meaning praise can go wrong.
Child care providers may praise children’s artwork to help increase their self-esteem. Unfortunately, children sometimes misinterpret teachers’ praise. Here are some common …
Children in child care settings can sometimes run into problems while they are doing creative art activities. They may finish early or want to work longer on their projects, they may get stuck in an artistic rut, or get frustrated because the activity is too simple or difficult for them. As a child care provider, here are some suggestions you might try if you run into this dilemma.
Creative art is an important part of the child care curriculum because it allows children to practice self-expression, fine motor skills, thinking and many other skills. Unfortunately, many activities that look like creative art do not actually encourage creativity. These activities are sometimes used in art programs and may help develop fine muscle control or eye-hand coordination, but they don’t provide artistic and creative opportunities.
It’s important to avoid activities masquerading as creative art. Activities that masquerade as creative share …
Art activities might appear to be “just messy,” but creating art is a valuable part of a child care curriculum. Art opens up new worlds for children and gives them a variety of important experiences. Crayons, markers, paint, clay and many other art materials are the tools that can help children:
