Part 2: Interest Areas
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The Art Area is a place filled with materials that children can enjoy on a
purely sensory level. Here children can create and represent their ideas in a
visual form. On a table or the floor, at an easel or a workbench, children
draw, paint, knead, cut, glue, and make things of their own choosing.
Sometimes they simply explore the materials and enjoy the process. At
other times they create designs or make something that represents a real
object, place, or living thing. Creative art is another language children use
to express what they know and what they feel. The Art Area is a studio for
children’s development and learning.
Social/emotional development. Art is a natural vehicle for children to
express their feelings. Children reflect their thoughts and emotions through
their choices of color, texture, and media. For example, when happy or
excited, a child might use bright colors. When sad or upset, a child may
choose darker tones. Children also express their originality and
individuality in their art. Who says the pumpkins they paint have to be
orange? A child may prefer having a purple one simply because it will
stand out better in a patch.
Physical development. As children tear paper for a collage or use scissors to
cut, they refine small muscle movements. Making lines and shapes with
markers and crayons or hitting a nail on the head with a hammer are
activities that help children develop the fine motor control they need for
writing. Art is all about fine motor skills.
Cognitive development. Children draw, paint, and sculpt what they know. As
they translate their ideas and feelings into art, they use thinking skills to
plan, organize, select media, and represent their impressions. When
children draw, paint, and make collages, they experiment with color, line,
shape, and size. Using paints, fabrics, and woodworking tools they make
choices, try out ideas, plan, and experiment. They learn about cause and
effect when they mix colors. Through trial and error, they learn how to
balance a