As a teacher, we want and somewhat need to send home crafts that help the parents understand what their child was learning. Kids love showing their parents their cute coconut tree and pointing out their names on their name caterpillar. Kids need these cutesy crafts as well as their parents. They are a way to communicate the curriculum, the stories read in class, and celebrate the seasons or holidays! Many of these crafts encourage fine motor development as well as teaching them how to use an art material correctly. There is nothing wrong with cutesy crafts! My son learned a great deal about drawing as well as grew immensely in his fine motor skills because his Preschool teacher taught him a great deal about drawing, and taught him (and me) about all types of art tools. She opened our eyes to a whole world of new art materials as well as challeneged my son to realize he could draw a monkey, and he could make an awesome dinosaur out of shapes. Were most of her art lessons very instructed, yes, were most of her art materials used for a specific purpose in her craft, yes. But she allowed the children free coloring time every morning during free play time and many of her cutesy crafts involved open tearing of paper, and creative use of paint. I believe there is nothing wrong with cutesy crafts, however there is something wrong if a child is never given the opportunity to creatively explore open art on their own without direction. With schools being so pressured by parents and state testing, the open art time falls more and more on the shoulder of the parents to give children that time to explore and grow. My mother always taught my the importance of a plain sheet of paper, some decent paint, and a paint brush. To this day, coloring with my boys can be therapy for me as an adult.
As a parent, the biggest advice that I can give to parents who are trying to encourage fine motor skills in their young child, is to allow them open art time, as well as access to open art materials. So many parents are afraid of crayons on the walls, paint in their hair, and markers on clothes, that they rob their child of open art experiences as well as developing fine motor skills. The moment they pick up a crayon or paint brush, they are learning how to use their small muscles and coordinate their movements. At one point I had five boys in my very small home, three days a week. And they all knew where the paper was, they all knew how to get to the crayons and pencils, and sometimes markers made an appearance. Yes, there were some mistakes made, and the couch did get drawn on a time or two, but for the most part, the art supplies stayed where the art supplies belonged and the boys experienced open art and grew in creativity.
Here are my tips:
1. Make rules and stick to them! If a child can't keep his markers on the paper, the markers get taken away. No if, and's or but's about it! You earn your opportunity to explore art!
2. Organize art supplies in a way that make sense to the kids. I am known as the bin/basket lady. I have a bin/basket/drawer for everything. There is always a bin full of plain paper, plain card stock, and coloring sheets (and now baseball scoring sheets because my eldest is obsessed). There is always a bin full of WASHABLE crayons, and now that my 2 1/2 year old has learned the rules of markers, a WASHABLE marker bin. I have baskets up high full of WASHABLE paints, scissors, and all sorts of crafting tools and art supplies. ALWAYS washable (it may cost you a few more $'s, but it saves you from yelling at your kids, and keeping your sanity and your husband's sanity because it washes right off). I put these bins next to where I want my boys to use their art materials, by their child-sized table. It makes sense to me and it makes sense to them. Is there a child-sized table in my living room-yes. Is there bins of art supplies in my living room-yes. Baskets full of art supplies in my kitchen-yes. Do I have an understanding husband-yes. Do I entertain many adults-no. Do I have time to-no. There will be a time when my home becomes my dream home, but for now, it is shared with a 6yr old and 2 yr old, so they need to have a place for their stuff. They need to feel a part of our home. Accessibility and visibility are key if you want to encourage them to be involved in open art. Pushing them will turn them off, but if the art materials are accessible within reason and with a couple of rules, kids will be more willing to engage in art because it's, well - out there, visible, and accessible. They are in control of when they engage and what they want to engage in, it is "open" for business when they are in the "mood".
3. Take art on-the-go. Just like many modern-day families, we are on-the-go much of our weekends and even our weeknights. In the car, there are two plain paper sketch pads, as well as ziplock bags full of crayons and colored pencils. Do I have an understanding husband-yes. Do we constantly find melted crayons under their seats-yes. Are markers allowed in the car-no (I have to allow my very understanding husband some peace of mind:). My eldest son has come up with more exciting drawings in the car then anywhere else! He blows me away with his creativity and fine motor control even when I am in a panic-driving to get them to an appointment on time. Even my 2 1/2 year old, who has been a little more hesitant about art has taken to scribbling in the car. His pencil control and fine motor skills have already gotten better since his brother showed him his very own car- sketch book. Even my son's friends know where the crayons are in Miss Karra's car. I am going to start needing to comb the clearance section of Hobby Lobby for two more sketch books soon, they are running out of free pages!
4. Let go and encourage. I struggle with this, BIG time. The Preschool teacher in me wants to grab my son's hand and make him create the design I see in my head, but I have to let it Go and let him express HIMSELF. There are times for instruction and guidance, and then there are times when we need to let them explore and go wherever their mind leads them, encouraging them and listening to their descriptions along the way. Especially if your kids are in school all day, and have been told what to do all day, let them have creative freedom at home, you might be surprised. Just the other day, my just-started-Kindergartener wanted me to staple plain paper together so he could make a leaf book for his teacher. It was HIS idea, HIS story, HIS art materials, open, available, and visible that allowed for this creative idea.
I guess this blog is more of a reminder for myself and what I have learned from my different experiences and perspectives of art coupled with fine motor skill development. A reminder to myself, to allow my kids to have their open-art experiences, and forgive myself for the cutesy crafts I do with my class because it goes so well with the lessons:). I hope to continue to find a BALANCE, just like everything else in life, with art, as a mother and as a teacher.
