Why process art is important for kids | Mum In The Madhouse

Why process art is important for kids

Sometimes it is really easy for us to fix a finished idea in our head when crafting and creating with our kids, especially in this Pinterest age.  I can be be guilty of this too and it was one of the reasons that I stopped doing tutorials when the boys were younger as their idea of the finished product was often not the same as mine.

Why process art is important for kids

Even now and my boys are nine and eight this month I feel that it is important to just allow them to create sometimes and to let them go with the flow.

So when we were sent our craft kit for the Tots100 Bostik Craft Club (You can buy similar kits to this from online suppliers such as Craft Merrily and Yellow Moon, I decided to just pop it all out on the table and let the boys create with no expectations of outcome at all.

This project was all about the focus being on the process not the outcome.  I wanted to encourage the boys to create, develop and explore their own creative ideas.  I wanted their artwork to be a reflection of their interpretation and ideas.

I think that at eight and nine it is just as important to not always have a preconceived notion about what the end result ‘should’ look like and to learn to just enjoy the making and creating.

What is process art?

 

Art activities tend to be process oriented  rather than product oriented like crafts.  It engages feelings and imaginations and uses basic supplies and often open ended instructions.

It is  all about the  journey, not the destination.  The end product is not the principal focus of the activity. There really is not right or wrong way to produce the artwork.  Perfect for children of all ages.

Why process art is important

 

Children learn through play and open-ended activities. It allows them the chance to explore the world around them, ask questions, and see how things work. Process art fits in with how children learn because it allows them room to be themselves, make their own decisions engage their imagination and feelings and just create!

Children enjoy both the product and the process of art, but process allows children to experience the joy of creativity without the focus on the end product.

Children who experience process art are engaging in a learning process and it encourages the following skills:

  1. Thinking skills (cognitive behaviours)
  2. Cause and effect
  3. Observation skills
  4. Self expression
  5. Coordination
  6. Spatial thinking
  7. Expressing feelings
  8. Social interaction in a noncompetitive environment
  9. Decision making
  10. Problem solving
  11. The ability to experiment
  12. Communication

Why process art is important for kids collage

I have lots of posts about process art and simple arts and crafts for families on this pinterest board including this fab post on the benefits of arts and crafts for kids, this post from Twodaloo on process art in early childhood  and fun a day’s post on process art.

Follow Jen Walshaw’s board Simple drawing and art for Families and Kids on Pinterest.

bostic

Comments are closed.