Arts Galore

In general, children are highly interested in hands-on activities, or having something that they can create. This can be seen with painting, dancing, playing with play-doh, or even playing a character. Being able to create something of their own is majorly influential to a child, and I was able to observe the happiness it brings children this week in the preschool. I was able to see how happy it can make a child to express themselves in a way that isn’t through speech, especially for children who are shy or are English language learners. 

Different types of art have different results, both emotionally and physically. Painting in itself is a physical form of art that a lot of the preschoolers enjoy participating in. This was shown when they painted spiders with their handprints, and then again when they were just painting for fun. Dancing is a great way to get exercise without doing the typical go-to exercises, and it allows for creative freedom and expression; Raya showed this when she built a little stage for herself with the blocks, and then began to dance with ribbons for Taylor. Colson joined her and he, while not as expressive, appeared to have a lot of fun dancing on the homemade stage and being cheered on. Before and after dancing, Colson was highly interested in play-doh and creating his own objects, which ranged from hotdogs and pancakes to balls and snakes, but he treasured each one until he decided to create something new. When children play a character, it can be a way to express themselves in a place where they don’t know how. It can also just be a way to have fun and pretend that they are elsewhere, and either is quite possibly the reason that children pretend to be someone else.

Arts, whether it be dramatic theater or coloring or music, are so important to a child. Having a healthy way to express themselves is vital, especially to children who have trouble vocalizing what they want, such as having a language barrier, whether it is because they are not able to speak or if they speak a different language. Having a way to communicate with a child is essential, and communication is so much more than speaking. Having arts readily available in the classroom allows children to explore these other ways or expression and communication.