Rawabi Holding Magazine Issue 31

Business News
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A Closer Look
at the Importance
of Art for Your
Child’s Emotional
Development
By: Vanessa Gallo
Gymboree Play & Music Program Developer and Trainer
One day, Cecilia, a toddler in my
Gymboree Arts class, wanted to
paint with only the color black.
‎She also made several large, brisk
strokes with her brush and went
through more paper than her
‎peers. After class, her mother told
me that Cecilia was very upset
that morning about something. ‎It
became evident to both of us that
Cecilia was expressing her anger
through her artwork. In ‎fact, it was
just what Cecilia needed to relieve
her emotions and get on with her
day.‎
Children, as young as 18 months, begin
to express “self-conscious emotions” that
include ‎complex feelings such as pride,
embarrassment and shame. Regardless of
age, we all need ‎outlets for the emotions
we feel. Many adults read or write to
escape. Some exercise, go for a ‎drive or
talk with a loved one.‎
Young children are limited in how they can
express their feelings. At the time they
begin to show ‎more complex emotions,
they do not have the vocabulary to express
them. Children primarily ‎showcase
feelings through facial expressions,
gestures and movement or, as in Cecilia’s
case, ‎through painting.‎
Art experiences are important for your
child’s emotional development. Not only
is art a vehicle ‎for emotional expression,
children also discover how their actions
make an impact on their ‎surroundings.‎
The process of art provides a great
channel for you to support your child’s
emotional ‎development especially when
you experience art together.‎
Look What I Can Do
Being able to make an impact on your
surroundings – and know it – is an
important step toward ‎building confidence
and independence. Confidence and
independence contributes to a healthy
‎self-esteem later in life and the ability to
make better decisions.‎
Stanford University Art Professor, Elliot
Eisner, has identified several benefits
children gain from ‎art. The first is the
realization that one’s actions create
consequences. He states, “The first
thing ‎that very young children learn is
something that we often take for granted...
they can, in fact, ‎create images with
material and that the activity of making
such images can provide intrinsic ‎forms of
satisfaction.”‎
Repeated experiences with the same
art materials reap new skills. Using a
paintbrush to apply ‎paint in a new way
or rolling a ball out of dough for the first
time is only achieved through ‎experience
with simple and familiar art materials.
The more your child freely explores with
‎crayons, paint, and dough, the more
competent he will be.‎
It is also important that you praise his
processes, not the end products – say,
“I like how you ‎move your paint brush”
instead of “you made a nice picture.”
This, in turn, will support developing
‎competence.‎
Art activities should also include several
materials of the same type. For example,
provide plenty ‎of paper and multiple colors
of crayons for your child to choose under
your supervision. Active ‎children may need
to switch out colors often and use a lot
of paper. Your flexibility will support ‎your
child’s need to discover the outcomes of
her actions. The more materials provided
during ‎art activities for toddlers, the better
the experience for expression.‎
Saving your child’s art and posting it
up – not just on the refrigerator, but in
frames and other ‎important places – will
indirectly communicate that you value his
art creations. Using the work to ‎decorate
cards or gifts will communicate this
message, too. These simple actions on
your part ‎will reiterate the importance of
your child’s ideas and contributions.‎
There’s Meaning in Mess
Let your child explore with paint. It sounds
easy enough, but for many parents, it’s
hard to let go ‎and allow for mess. The
mess factor involved when young children
create is important and can ‎reveal a lot.
Messes can teach parents about children’s
emotions and can be used as a bridge ‎for
communication.‎
Often times, the mess children make
results from their excitement as they
engross themselves ‎in the art activity.
It’s also possible that mess making is an
indirect sign of frustration or ‎unhappiness.
By allowing your child to freely explore art
and observing the methods she uses in ‎the
process, you can gain useful information
for opening the doors to communication.
Comment ‎on how she applies the paint
or on the pace at which she colors, and
expand on her reactions – ‎and eventually
her words.‎
You can minimize the “mess stress” you
feel by ensuring your child has plenty
of room to move. ‎Cover work areas with
newspaper and make available wipes or
towels. Provide child-appropriate ‎utensils
like chunky paintbrushes, shallow paint
containers and large sheets of paper that
support ‎your child’s physical capabilities.
There are also “ready for mess” art
programs you can enroll in, ‎like the
Gymboree Arts program, that provide a
developmentally appropriate place for you
and ‎your child to explore art together.‎
Sharing in Art
Children aren’t the only “players” in the
game of education. They get more out
of art experiences ‎when interacting with
others. You can expand on your child’s
ideas and introduce new tools ‎when it’s
time for more challenges. By engaging
in child-parent art programs, you add an
‎important layer of learning to your child’s
education.‎
Not only is the learning experience
enhanced when children and adults solve
problems together, ‎it is also enriched
when children are actively engaged with
each other. Many children need to ‎observe
each other first before feeling comfortable
enough to try a new art process. It can be
‎difficult at first when your toddler begins
to express his newfound independence,
especially in a ‎group setting with peers.
However, it is the group setting that allows
opportunity for your child to ‎“socialize.”‎
Art activities provide tangible tools for
expression. Toddlers enjoy expressing
their independence ‎and use objects to
do so when in the presence of others.
For example, when coloring, the ‎process
of holding onto a crayon as a personal
possession is just as enjoyable as
discovering ‎what it can do. Rest assured
that even if your toddler decides to hold
onto a crayon instead of ‎coloring with it,
he is satisfying an emotional need and
learning something through observation.‎
Learning to leverage independence around
adults and eventually collaborate with
peers is critical ‎for toddlers. Art provides
a perfect arena to build skills needed for
social competence. Plan ‎opportunities for
you and your child to create with others
and make sure there are plenty of ‎supplies
to go around.‎
Whether it’s your child’s need for
expression to discover the magnitude her
actions make, or to ‎exert independence
with the materials she selects, art
experiences influence a child’s emotional
‎development in a unique and valuable
way. In the words of Elliot Eisner, “Art is,
ultimately, not ‎for art’s sake; it is for the
sake of all of us.”‎
Vanessa Gallo, Program Developer for
Gymboree Play & Music, holds an M.A.
in ‎Developmental Psychology. In addition
to her role at Gymboree Play & Music,
Vanessa ‎serves as a guest lecturer at
San Francisco State University and
has recently published a ‎piece in The
Macmillan Psychology Reference Series:
Child Development. As program ‎developer,
Vanessa led the development of Gymboree
Arts, in addition to other ‎curriculum.‎
Have you tried
Gymboree yet ‎
Contact us today to book a free trial
in Art or one of our other wonderful
sessions.‎
Phone us at 038686224
or via our website
www.gymboreeclasses-ksa.com
where you will also ‎find a link to our
Twitter account and Facebook page.
We are also now on Instagram
– find us at ‎Gymboree Khobar and
ask to follow us today.‎
18 Rawabi News Issue 31 Oct-Dec 2012
Rawabi News Issue 31 Oct-Dec 2012
19