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Anna Jacobson

ECE152
2-17-16
Philosophy Statement
Creative Activities Philosophy Statement
Creativity, according the the textbook Art: basic for young children, is Any activity that results in
something that was not there before. It also can be defined as the mental workings which dictate the childs
eye and hand to create art (Art).
The first stage of development with creative activities is scribbling; generally zigzag first, then circular
motions. In this stage, children are just beginning to experiment with making marks on paper. The second stage
of creative activities development is representational. Common pictures children draw in this stage involve a big
circle in the middle of the paper with four lines coming out from its sides. Generally, there are smaller circles
and a half circle inside the big circle. Most of the time, these are a representation of a smiling family member.
The last stage of creative activities development is reproduction. In this stage, children begin attempting to draw
what they actually see, instead of drawing representational shapes.
Creative activities are very important for young children because they learn through learning. All four
domains of development can be learned through creative activities. For example, art provides an outlet for
children to express their emotions in a socially acceptable manner, an aspect of social development. Creative
activities also help promote childrens imaginations and builds self-esteem. Not having a model to follow for
the activity also gives the children freedom to create what they will, as opposed to making them feel bad if they
cant copy the model that the adult prepared.
Teachers can support creative activities by focusing on providing materials for children which allow for
creative expression. Teachers can also watch children to see how they put the materials together to see if
anything else should be added for the activity. Another thing teachers can do to support creative activities for
children is to say yes to childrens ideas about what to add to an activity. They can follow the childrens lead.
Lastly, teachers can try harder to encourage childrens artwork instead of praising it.

Adult limits on what the outcome of a project should be is a big factor that interferes with young
childrens creativity. Also, telling the child exactly what to do, instead of letting them work it out for
themselves. Limiting art to activities such as coloring pages can interfere with childrens creative processes.
Praising the childs work or asking what the picture is can make children loose interest in art. Sometimes, the
picture is nothing in particular. However, many times the subject of the picture is obvious to the child and when
the adult points out that they dont know what the drawing is it can discourage the child.
Process-oriented art is more appropriate for young children because they are all about the experience of
using art materials. Children gain knowledge from any kind of sensory exploration. Creative activities are also
more appropriate for young children because there there is no emphasis place on what the end product should
look like. There are no right or wrong ways for what the end result is supposed to be. Young children often
dont have the necessary development to succeed at copying a model of a product-based art activity. This
usually causes the child to feel bad about their abilities.
Making models for young childrens art activities is not appropriate for young children because it causes
frustration in the child. Young children dont have the same experiences or practice that the adult has with art
materials. Therefore, presenting a model for children to follow sets them up for failure. It also is very
intimidating. The adult version of an art model would be a teacher putting up a picture of a famous artist and
being told to reproduce it.
Teachers should have good attitudes towards creative activities. They provide good manipulating
practice for young children. Creative activities also help promote imagination and self-esteem. They provide an
outlet for children to express their feelings. Teachers should not shy away from providing creative activities or
experimenting with new activities or from observing as children work at these activities to see how the children
are responding to it.

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