Friday, January 22, 2010

Creative Art: Sensory Learning


Often, Luke's pre-school teacher will send home a written explanation of what the pre-schoolers are working on and what that experience is teaching them.

Since my business is all about turning a child's artwork into gifts and apparel, when papers come home that pertain to the subject of art and creativity, I pay special attention.

I wanted to paraphrase some points that Luke's pre-school teacher highlighted reagarding Creative Art, because I think it's so important:



Our art program is designed to promote your child's creativity.  We focus on the PROCESS, not the end product.  It is OK if your child's dog doesn't look like a dog, or if he colors his apple purple.  That is your child's work (not the teachers) and that is his/her level of understanding of the real world right now.


If your child's art project looks like a big gooey mess, keep in mind that it was a good sensory experience.  He/she probably had a ball making his/her own creation.  That is what's most important.

Many projects your child brings home are craft oriented, and we do not have a particular end product in mind.  These are projects, not art. They are designed to enhance skill and cognitive development, rather than promote creative abilities.

REMEMBER: Our number one priority in art is that your child did it all by him/herself, he/she enjoyed doing it, and is proud of his/her work.

While my oldest daughter has some artistic talent, the other five pretty much just enjoy being creative, and as I've written in previous posts here on my blog, I LOVE nurturing that creativity in them!

So, as with most weekends, I plant get out those paints and markers and colored pencils and scissors and glue this weekend and have a sensory development/cognitive development-fest!

Now I've just got to find an empty vertical space on a wall where I can display the end product...

Enjoy!
~Lisa

Here are some fun things to help get your creative juices flowing....

2 comments:

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  2. I love this post encouraging sensory activities through art and creativity. Playdough is a great sensory activity, finger painting with paint or shaving cream, cutting with scissors is very important...gets all those neurons firing. People often overlook the importance of sensory integration in child development. You are right on target with all this great stuff.

    For more info on sensory processing disorders check out http://www.ourjourneythruautism.com/search/label/sensory processing disorder

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