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Child-Directed Art Exploration in Preschool

By Annet Weterings, Sabine Plamper

Supervising children in a non-judgemental way means not fussing about what they have made, but creating the optimum conditions for children to work and remain involved. It’s important not to speak of lovely, nice, beautiful or wonderful or any other aesthetic judgement, however difficult that is in practice. Children who hear that something is beautiful will want to hear this again and again, and they will become dependent on your opinion. The priority is for children to follow their interests, to research and discover. As you listen to them, the connections they make will give you a glimpse into their personal world. This can be a sensitive moment that makes them vulnerable, and therefore, the right/ wrong/beautiful label is simply not appropriate here.

DON’T DISTURB CONCENTRATION

Giving children space to concentrate on their creative activities means not disturbing them. The saying ‘speech is silver but silence is golden’ often applies. This gives room for interaction between the children, too. Children will learn through watching each other and talking together.

Pitfalls to avoid when supervising children:

• What are you making? If a child makes connections whilst involved in making, they will let you know in their own time. They won’t be able to answer questions whilst in the middle of a creative process. Rather than asking questions, make a note of any information the child volunteers.
• Not listening to what a child tells you, of their own accord, about the material or how they are experiencing it.
• Comparing one child’s work with that of others. Everyone works in their own way, at their own pace and with their own visual language.
• Directing, by saying how it should be or what the intention is.
• Interfering with a child’s work: drawing, painting, colouring or sticking clay somewhere, while they are still at work, or giving pointers: that goes there. Or worse: taking over actions. Children are in charge of their own work!
• Allowing other adults to wander into the creative space with all sorts of questions or comments about lovely or ugly. This will disturb children’s concentration and process.

HOW AND WHEN YOU MIGHT ASK QUESTIONS

It is useful to know which questions to ask and when. Caution is required here, for to ask too many questions may signal to the child you want them to go in certain direction, or that you do not understand their work. A valid question is: ‘Would you like to tell me something about it?’ This gives a child the chance to say ‘No’. Good questions will help to sharpen the senses, and prompt stimulation and challenge (De Valck 2012).

• Offer help: ‘Do you need anything else?’
• Encourage them to focus: ‘Do you hear/see/feel/ taste/smell that too...?’
• Suggest a challenge: ‘How would it be if you...?'
• Invite them to expand on what you see: ‘Does it all turn the same way? What do you see?'
• Foster logical thinking: ‘What could you use to do that? What would happen if...?'
• Challenge them to solve a problem: ‘What could you use to make that?’

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If explaining or directing, judging or asking closed questions is not on, adults often wonder what they can do. For example, you might:

• Pay attention to a child’s involvement. Be curious about what they are doing or thinking.
• Affirm what they are doing: ‘Gosh, you’re hard at work!’
• Look at their technique: ‘You have to be strong to cut, don’t you?’
• Draw attention to the materials: ‘How does that feel? Is it soft or rough?’
• Stay close to a child if they are having difficulty—do not underestimate the support your presence can provide. A child will feel seen and acknowledged, and perhaps dare to continue.

*Excerpts taken from “Child-Directed Art Exploration in Preschool” by Annet Weterings, Sabine Plamper
www.edutopia.org – George Lucas Educational Foundation.

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