Is your child artistic? Some parents would say “yes,” whereas others might say “no.” As a parent I truly believe that ALL children are artist in some way. Often people consider those who can draw and paint as artistic, but the truth is creating anything out of any medium (fabric, clay, repurposed materials…) can be considered an artist.
I grew up upstate. I had plenty of friends and I was often outside. For those times I was stuck inside (mostly due to weather) I had to find other things to do to pass the time. I had plenty of toys, but I preferred to color and draw. I also LOVED trying to create things out of little bits and pieces found around the home such as things you might find in a “junk drawer” (buttons, ribbon, pipe cleaners…). I also LOVED to design and create clothing for my Barbie dolls and furniture for them as well as my beloved Fisher-Price Little People. No material was off limits. I used scrap pieces of wood, soup cans, cereal boxes… you name it.
I appreciate that my parents allowed me the freedom to be as creative as I wanted to be. In fact, my mom encouraged it. There were no “rules” when it came to expressing myself in art.
As a parent I strongly believe that all children should be encouraged to express themselves artistically in any way that feels right to them. For my daughter, she expressed herself with words. She’s always been a great creative writer. She loves to write.
When she was in middle school (5th grade) she participated in a writing club at school. The stories were then published in the school’s newspaper.
Imagine my surprise when I received a note from the group’s advisor that my daughter’s story could not be used in the paper because it was deemed too “dark and scary.”
Dark and scary?
I read my daughter’s story. It was a bit too long to be published in the paper (it could have been broken up into different parts), I saw nothing wrong with it. In fact, it was a great story, especially considering her young age. I won’t go into detail but it had to do with a missing student, followed by a missing teacher and a creepy substitute teacher who came into the school. The story’s main character felt there was a connection between the disappearances and the substitute teacher and set out to find out what happened to her missing friend and favorite teacher.
It was a great story. I had to contact the adviser to find out what they felt was wrong with it. The adviser told me she felt the story was amazing – in fact it was a great story considering my daughter’s young age. They (the school) just felt the theme/subject of the story might not go over too well (missing student and teacher, suspicious substitute teacher).
Sigh…
That situation actually made my daughter not want to write anymore. She took it to heart, even though I told her that the story was amazing. I think the school could have at least acknowledged that her story was good in person rather than let her feel like she was a horrible writer. There were not “rules” set out in advance as to what they could, or could not, write about. They let the children have free range as to what they wanted to write about.
My daughter also liked to express herself in fashion. She drew up some beautiful designs when she was younger and had planned on becoming a fashion designer (now she’s going to college to be an occupational therapist).
My son’s artistic abilities are expressed in photography and videos. Even at a young age he was able to capture unique angels and subject matter in his photos. I’ve always been impressed with them. His specialty is urban landscapes, most especially New York City.
Here are some of his photos.
His videos are very creative too. When he was 11 years old he wanted a “green screen” for Christmas. LOL! He takes his videos seriously.
I’m fortunate that my parents gave me the freedom to express myself artistically. There were no rules. They didn’t insist that I color in the between the lines. I never did anyway. I always loved to blend colors and apply shading – even to coloring book pages.
My art teachers in school were always encouraging me to do my own thing.
One year there was an art contest at school (high school) and the winner’s would be showcased in the various display windows around the school. We were allowed to create anything we wanted out of any medium (winning pieces were judged for a variety of things). There were plenty of drawings, paintings and ceramics. What did I make? A rat. That’s right – a giant rat. I created legs and a face out of old stockings (pantyhose) and attached them to a body made out of fake fur. I wish I had a photo of it. It looked so real, and it was HUGE (the size of a cat).
I was one of the winners because I looked “outside the box” and created a piece of “art” that was different and unique.
I’m not the only one who feels strongly about allowing a child to express themselves freely in their artwork. The wonderful people over at KinderCare feel the same way.
In the “Living Room Adventures” section on the adventureahead.kindercare.com website you’ll see examples of how children were allowed to freely explore a variety of materials.
Free expression is precisely the spirit of what is called child-directed art. Sometimes called “process art,” child-directed art doesn’t have step-by-step instructions or a “right” and “wrong” way to create. Child-directed art encourages true creativity by allowing children the freedom to use their imaginations in whatever way they wish.
This is precisely the kind of art KinderCare Learning Centers uses in its classrooms every day. Their Early Foundations™ curriculum program says it best: “For young children, it is the process of creating, not the end product,that is most important.”
“We believe so strongly in child-directed art because it gives children the opportunity to show their full, natural self-expression,” notes Linda Hassan Anderson, VP of Education for Knowledge Universe (the parent company of KinderCare Learning Centers).
For more information about KinderCare please visit adventureahead.kindercare.com.
What do YOU think about allowing children to freely express themselves with art and art mediums? Feel free to share your thoughts.
Kimberly
*I have partnered with KinderCare to bring you this information. Although compensated the opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.