What to Do During Your Preschool Art Time

Preschoolers love art. They love to paint and to explore different art materials. To see the cause and effect process of different materials working together. Learning how different types of art are created is also fascinating for preschoolers, especially when they are then provided with the materials to try to create the same type of art themselves. It is easy for them to become and stay engaged in creating art for longer periods of time then they are able to for many other activities. Here is what you can do during your preschool art time.

1. PROVIDE PROCESS ART EXPERIENCES

There are endless possibilities when you provide your preschoolers with process art experiences. Whether you leave the art area open throughout the day or have a designated art time, your preschoolers will be highly engaged in art experiences that are open-ended and child-led. Process art has so many benefits for your preschoolers, too. It encourages creative thinking, planning, and prioritizing. It also gives them a chance to take risks and problem solve through experimentation with different materials and tools.

2. ENGAGE IN THE PROCESS WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLERS

When you are participating in activities with your preschoolers they are more likely to be engaged. You can work on large group art together, or just do your own art alongside them. Either way, watching you work and seeing how you solve problems will be very beneficial. Also, the conversations that you engage in with your preschoolers as you all work on art projects will boost their vocabulary, get them thinking about how things work, and build on their skills.

3. TEACH THEM ABOUT ARTISTS AND THEIR TECHNIQUES

It is never too early to introduce children to art and the different techniques used to create it. They may not be able to fully understand what it means to be an abstract expressionist, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot learn about Jackson Pollock. It can be as simple as putting some of Jackson Pollock’s artwork out on display and then giving your preschoolers the opportunity to pour and splash paint onto flat canvases.

4. OBSERVE

Any time that your preschoolers are engaged in play is a good time to observe them. During your preschool art time you can observe how your preschoolers are progressing in all of the developmental domains.

Fine motor skills can be observed as they manipulate the materials, use scissors, and paint. Social and emotional skills are seen as your preschoolers interact with each other and handle conflicts. Language skills are used as they talk to each other about what they are doing. Cognitive skills are used as your preschoolers use creative and critical thinking to come up with different ways to use materials to make the art. The observations you make during art time will be essential to your preschoolers’ authentic assessments.

As long as your preschool art time is led by your preschoolers interests and the activities are open-ended, your preschoolers will be excited for art time every time. They won’t even realize all of the skills that they are working on while having so much fun!