Ask The Preschool Teacher: Question 86

3/22/01 Question 86

Dear Preschool Teacher,
I have been teaching preschool for several years and I am now taking some Early Childhood Development classes. One of the classes is on art and creativity. I am surprised to learn that teacher created crafts are considered inappropriate. This meaning that we should not direct them to make a particular item, such as making dogs out of paper plates or any craft that might require direction. Yet this seams to be the way all
preschools and child care centers do arts and crafts. They (Early Childhood Development) recommend just giving the children a variety of art supplies and letting them create whatever they want. I'm not sure I totally agree with this theory. How do you feel? I feel that we can offer a variety of creativity by offering a mixture of teacher directed crafts and child directed art or open ended art. I think that children need to learn how to follow simple directions in order to prepare them for kindergarten. How do you feel about this?
Is It Art?

Dear Is it Art?,
When we work on theme oriented crafts, pre-cuts are ok in my center, providing the teachers do not tell the children HOW to decorate the project. We provide materials and let the kids create... who says a piece of paper has to be square or rectangle to be created on? A precut fire truck can be just as
individualized. If you enter a classroom and all the art work looks the same, I'd say there is too much teacher direction/ interference going on. Also, I feel there should always be a balance to compliment the theme based crafts, like free choice craft shelves or a painting easel where kids can go and do there own thing!
Shelley
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
     I feel that we can offer a variety of creativity by offering a mixture of teacher directed crafts and child directed art or open ended art.
     I just took that class a few semesters ago. I think I agree with you. So many centers have set up curriculums and you are suppose to learn about a certain subject. Most people say put a piece of black paper out and let them draw what they want.
     I think if you give them the materials to do a certain project as long as it is their work it is their creative art.
Roni
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
I feel almost exactly the same as you just stated. I feel that a good preschool offers their children a variety of activities and different types of art projects. Sometimes you can have crafts such as a dog and other times you can offer open ended activities such as watercolor or collage material. I feel that children need to learn to follow directions and their individuality and creativity shine through each art project no matter what.
Julie
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
     This is a good question. I personally do both. Every day there is a free choice craft table set up with a variety of items that the children may choose. I try to vary this and include different and unusual items to spark their interest.
    We also do a more directed craft every day. This is also at times open-ended, but may also be teacher directed to a point. I allow the child to choose when they are finished and how it will look. I prefer open-ended projects as the process is more important that the finished product.
    I do not feel that ditto papers belong in preschool at all. This is not art or learning, in my opinion.
Kris
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
     I feel a good mixture of free spirited art and directed art is better. Just be sure that you praise the child for every effort. The outcome is not as important as the process. If a parent is unsatisfied, because the result does not look perfect, remind them that even Picasso started out like that!
Heide
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
     I have been teaching preschool for about ten years and I have done both kinds of art work. It is very important to give children all the available art supplies and let them create whatever they want but I also think that teacher directed activities are okay too. This does help children sequence and to follow directions. I have never changed a child art project if it
didn't look exactly and "I" thought it should. I hope that this helps you.
Lynn
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
     I feel that to a point we could provide a dog, or whatever to the child but I also think that they should do the project and not you. If you give them the dog and tell them where to glue the eyes, nose and mouth they you did the project themselves. If I were a parent I would want my child's creation not the teachers.
     I think you should be able to give the dog to them and everything that goes with him and let them glue everything on where they want to put it, then I think it would be mostly their art work.
     The kids need to be creative and by telling them how or what to do then they aren't being allowed to be creative. Giving them materials and letting them do what they want to do is what we need to do!!
Nadine
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
I agree with you. The Early Childhood feels that they get enough teacher directions and feel that children should have freedom of choice in the art section. But I feel that children can be creative even in an teacher directed art, small centers, etc.
Doris
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
I agree with you. My preschool is not set up in centers and never will be as long as we stay where we are because the church will not allow us to. So we don't have an art center. I have a teacher directed art project every day, and I feel the child can still be creative with the projects I have.
I have nothing against the theory of having an art center and creating their own art. I do believe they need to learn how to follow directions to prepare them for kindergarten.
Peg
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
In my classroom we do both. Teacher directed and open art. The open art supplies are always out and they are encouraged to use these everyday. We also do a teacher directed, but I don't help with these my assistant supervises. The children are given the necessary materials and shown an example, but then are on there own unless they ask for help.
Sherri
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
     I have been teaching for over 30 years and many ideas about Early Childhood Education have changed. I believe in creativity, so we always make sure the children can use a lot of different supplies so they can create what they wish. Sometimes the children make whatever they want and sometimes we give
them a basic idea, i.e. a dog or flowers or zoo animals etc. The children enjoy creating and working with a lot of different supplies and so we make sure this is always available.
   However, sometimes we also do some teacher-directed art, but we usually don't show a model to follow, so they have more leeway in how they put something together. It is the imagination and enjoyment of working with their hands and minds that is important, not the finished product.
   We also do activities that I call "Following Directions" activities because I feel that this is important too. We do not refer to this as art, but as "Learning to listen and Do". We somehow have to combine things that we know have helped children learn in the past with the new ideas that are
supposed to be better. Each teacher needs to do what she does the best and is most comfortable with. This usually is a combination of old and new ideas. It is important to be able to be receptive to change and new ways of doing things, while hanging on a little to things that we know work.
Good luck to you.
Jan
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Is it Art?,
     I believe it is art ,but too many teachers feel that all projects
have to look like a model. That is not art. Art is when children have lots of room for creativity. I feel a balance can be reached between the two.
     At free choice time, offer a variety of art materials on a low shelf. (Watch what they do with the scissors though, or you will have some wild haircuts.) They can cut, glue, draw, and paint as much as they want. You should always make an easel available and allow them to paint what they want. You can also offer a project or craft. Children like to do things they recognize. If a big deal is not made of how it "should" look, then however they make it will be fine. Inform parents that it is the process
not the product that is important so they won't say "What is that?"
      Children do need freedom to create but also need to learn to follow some directions because most of the time they will do "crafts" when they get to upper grades. Just remember it is their project and should have their special touch!
Jackie
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"