Thoughts
on art...
We have a lot of little artists here and I thought you might be interested
in just what is happening when all those works of art on your refrigerator
are created !
There
are three stages of art children go through in their development.
Types of Scribbling :
Scribbling is a manipulative skill and
involves the ability to use one’s hands and fingers with dexterity.
Developing this skill is vital to mastering hand-to-eye coordination,
which is a prerequisite for developing the visual perception necessary to
read from left to right.
The Scribble Stage
or Random Scribbling (ages 1 1/2-3yrs)
Most children begin scribbling at about
1½ to 2 years. They will scribble with anything on hand and on anything
nearby. Floors and walls work well! Their first marks are usually an
aimless group of lines. Children simply enjoy the physical motions
involved in scribbling. It is the act of doing, not the product, that is
important to the child. For the toddler, art is a sensori-motor
activity. As a child draws or paints, every part of the body moves, all
working to move the crayon or brush across the paper.
In the early
scribble stage a child does not have control over hand movements or marks
on the page. The marks are random and go in many directions. There is
neither the desire nor the ability to control the marks. It’s the
process, not the product.
Random scribbles are universally a
child’s first mark. All children go through this preliminary stage of
drawing. Randomly exploring and experimenting with different writing
tools, this stage of scribbling pleases children as they discover its
possibilities. The duration of this stage is dictated by the encouragement
of teachers and parents, the child’s general health, muscle development,
coordination, intelligence, and the quantity and frequency of
opportunities to randomly scribble.
Basic Forms Stage or
Controlled Scribbling (ages 2-4)
The second stage of development is
signified by the introduction of geometric shapes such as circles, ovals,
squares, triangles and crosses into the child’s art. As children gain
muscle control and eye-hand coordination, they begin to make attempts to
organize their environment. They repeat shapes, hold their tools more like
an adult and have a growing control over materials. Wavy lines and
rippling lines may be interspersed with a variety of circular patterns.
Children can now control their scribbles and repeat them at will. Children
now value their scribbles.
Early Basic Forms Stage: Circle and Oval
Later Basic Forms stage:
Rectangle and square.
The Pictorial Stage (ages 3-5)
With the two earlier stages complete,
children now have the ability to draw a variety of marks that make up
their first pictures. Pictures are now made with a purpose. The basic
forms in the preceding stage now suggest images to the child that stand
for ideas in the child’s mind. From the basic forms the child is able to
draw and particular forms are chosen. In this way, children draw their
first symbol. A symbol is a visual representation of something important
to the child; it may be a human figure, an animal, a tree, or a similar
figure. Art in which symbols are used in such a way is called
representational art. Children realize that there is a relationship
between objects they have drawn and the outside world, and that the
picture can be used to record ideas. The child now sees real meaning
behind the drawings and names the objects in the drawing.
The human form is often a child’s first
symbol. A person is usually drawn with a circle for a head and two lines
for legs or body.
Early Pictorial stage
In this early stage, a child works on
making and perfecting one of many symbols. Children will practice these
symbols, covering sheets of paper with many examples of the same object.
At this point a child’s picture may be a collection of unrelated figures
and objects. The child is searching for new ideas and symbols change
constantly.
In the later pictorial stage, a child
draws symbols easily and more exactly and before long more complex
drawings are made. Children use their drawings to tell a story or
describe an event. The naming of these symbols is an important step, in
that artwork becomes a clear form of visual communication. It may not
look different, but the circle is now called a “sun” and represents a
specific object. A child uses symbols when he/she is ready, and no
sooner. Creative expression is the goal at this age and all ages.
In the later pictorial stage, each child
has a special way of drawing the human form, houses, and other symbols.
This individual way of drawing is called a schema. A schema or individual
pattern can often be seen in drawings by age five or six and often
earlier.
It is
important to remember that there may be an overlap between developmental
levels in art. Each child progresses in art at a different rate just like
every other developmental stage. Those scribbles are a vital part of
learning. |
TINY TOT TIMES
