“It must not be forgotten that the basic law of children’s creativity is that it’s value lies not in its results, but in the product of creation. It is not important what children create, but that they do create, that they exercise and implement their creative imagination.” – Vygotsky
This quote describes process art by its definition as an open-ended experience. It needs to be the child and the media, with no right or wrong answers. Literally, go with the flow and see what happens! Art needs to be messy and fun as children learn through play. It is not about who delivers the best product or whose artwork looks the best against the wall in the classroom but rather who acquired the most skills in the right way. In the end that is what is more important for our children. It is all about the engagement, exploration and experimentation. Not the product at the end,
“When you draw it for me, cut it for me, paste it for me, put it together for me…. All I learn is that you do it better than me.” – Anonymous
Why is process art important for children?
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 and just create!
Children develop the following skills during process art activities:
- Gross-motor skills and co-ordination
- Fine-motor skills
- Sensory and exploration
- Creativity
- Maths and science
- Language
- Self-expression
- Art techniques
- Risk taking
- Spatial awareness
Paint with no product in mind, paint just to explore. Paint with the expectation that children will run it through their fingers, up their arms, over the table and yes, in their mouths. Paint expecting the mess. It is about the process not the product. Let your children be creative, work together and have fun with art.
By Beanca Vorster, Teacher at Crawford Pre-Primary Pretoria
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