There is nothing more joyful than watching a young child using a paintbrush with abandon. Circular movements and strong lines appear with meaning sometimes ascribed to the action. Interest in using paint and other media to make representations begins early, and for some children becomes a lifelong interest. As well as the sheer pleasure of exploration, children can gain many other benefits from investigating painting, drawing and creating 2D representations.
While experimenting with colour, form and function is a key element within the Expressive Arts and Design area of learning and development, there are links to many areas of learning and development within the revised EYFS.
PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Painting, drawing and collaging can be relaxing for children as well as being an opportunity for self-expression and the release of strong emotions. Children also develop feelings of pride as they create their individual representations.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE
Children often chat and sometimes talk about what they are doing as they paint, draw and collage. Adults can also draw children’s attention to specific vocabulary.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Fine and gross motor skills are developed as children touch and use materials. Paint and other materials such as glue can also support children’s sensory processing.
SPECIFIC AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT
There are links also to literacy development. These include the way that early mark-making using paint and other media is the first step to early writing. In addition, children’s narration of their representations is often linked to storytelling.
MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT
Children’s spatial awareness and interest in shapes and patterns is also linked to their overall mathematical development.
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
Colour, shape and form are all around us, in nature and also as part of cultural identity and heritage. There are naturally occurring opportunities to draw children’s attention to these.
BABIES AND TODDLERS
Babies and toddlers are free spirits when it comes to making lines, splodges and investigating tools. They are usually happy to plunge their hands in or using stabbing actions to produce spots of colour. It is an exploratory stage where movement and texture is more significant than colour, shape or form. Indeed, some children may use markers on their fingers rather than on their hands. This is not a stage when there should be any focus on producing an end product.
ROLE OF THE ADULT
In this stage, the role of the adult is to enjoy observing how babies and toddlers interact with a range of media. It is likely that you will spot individual differences between children with some babies and toddlers showing caution or active dislike of the sensation of some materials such as paint or gloop. These children are likely to need more time and a range of experiences so the sensory receptors on their hands are less acute.
As well as observing babies and toddlers, adults also need to join them. Being alongside a baby and toddler as they experiment with a range of markers, chalks or paints allows for the adult to make simple comments and also to respond to their emerging language.
RESOURCES
When looking for resources, check that they are washable and are suitable for babies and toddlers. It is worth having a combination of ‘messy’ materials that will require more time and preparation alongside some resources that are quick and easy to put out. Here are a few suggestions, although this is not an exhaustive list:
- Chunky markers.
- Large chalks.
- Chunky crayons that make marks easily.
- Paint sticks.
- Ready-mixed paint.
- Sponges.
- An assortment of brushes with short handles; for example, pastry brushes.
- Aquadoodle mats or homemade ones using paint in zip lock bags.
- Coloured gloop spread thinly on a tray.
TIPS FOR STRESS-FREE PAINTING
A top tip when providing paint for babies and toddlers is to plan very carefully. The aim is to provide a wide range of opportunities for exploration of colour, tools and materials without adults becoming over-directive as a result of becoming stressed. Why not:
- consider painting outdoors
- choose times when babies and toddlers are not tired or hungry and the adult-to-child ratio is favourable
- aim to create permanent painting areas where the floor and/or wall are protected
- look for aprons or even all-in-one waterproofs to protect clothes if stripping down to nappies is not feasible
- keep the amount of paint in a container to a minimum. Top up as you go
- make sure all paints are washable
- have plenty of mops, rags and wipes available
- think about where you will store and dry artworks afterwards
- expect clearing up to take longer than the activity. Use this as a learning opportunity in its own right for babies and toddlers.
TWO-TO-FIVES
From two years onwards, children really get into the stride when it comes to using chalks, pens, markers and other materials. The need to explore is still present, but once children become familiar with some materials, they show increasing intention, with children often declaring what they are about to depict.
Increased co-ordination and also a developing awareness of their world means that many children start to produce more recognisable images. Having said this, a recognisable dog may suddenly disappear under strokes of paint because the child wants to depict rain! This is because children at this age approach drawing as if it were ‘live action’ rather than a point fixed in time.
ROLE OF THE ADULT
There are many ways adults can help children to explore colour, form and develop increasing skill and interest in drawing and painting:
- Create a culture that focuses on process, not end product; for example by avoiding too many ‘one-off activities’.
- Put out a child’s painting or drawing on a collage table so they can revisit and add to it.
- Display children’s work with a narrative about how it was created.
- Role model how to use tools and resources; for example, stippling with a sponge or choosing a thin brush to make a fine line.
- Draw children’s attention to shades of colours and show how colours mix.
- Give children enough time to finish their projects.
- Invite artists to work alongside children or talk about their work.
- Draw children’s attention to illustrations in books.
RESOURCES
When it comes to resources, it is difference that matters rather than quantity. Paint is the exception though, when only primary colours plus black and plenty of white paint is needed.
- Different shades and sizes of crayons, oil pastels, markers and chalks.
- Charcoal and a product for fixing.
- A wide range of materials for collage, including haberdashery.
- Small shallow trays for children to hold as they paint (like an artist’s wooden palette).
- An assortment of brushesand rollers.
- A wide range of everyday objects that can be used for printing.
- Large rolls of paper.
- Some coloured sheets of paper and card.
CREATING A PAINTING AND DRAWING WALL
One way to encourage children to explore painting and drawing on a large scale is by creating a wall dedicated to painting, drawing and making marks in general. There are many advantages to this approach. Firstly, children are able to have a larger space in which to work and they can also come alongside each other, which supports them to learn from each other. There are practical advantages too. Paintings can be left to dry on the wall and they form a display in their own right.
- Protect the wall with a large strip of plastic held in place with masking tape or staples.
- Create an attractive border so children know the limit of where they can paint.
- Put up the paper. Draw some vertical lines if needed to indicate individual spaces to paint.
- Put up a low table under the wall for resources, e.g. for drawing – pencils, charcoal, chalks and markers.
CREATING A ‘CAN DO’ ATTITUDE
While young children are often ready to have a go, older children become less satisfied with their representations. This can lead to some children asking adults to draw something for them rather than attempting their own representations. To maintain confidence, it is thought that adults need to avoid using language such as ‘that’s really good’ but instead talk about the process; for example, ‘that looks as if it was fun to do’. It is also thought that the overuse of colouring sheets and templates can also cause problems as children are presented with stylised images that they are unable to reproduce independently.
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