It’s the Week of the Young Child™ and thread is celebrating early education, young children, their families, and their teachers with a week full of activities. Don’t miss the 2021 thread Awards ceremony tonight on Facebook Live! Learn who will receive the 2021 Cindy Harrington Heart & Mind Award and the 2021 Quality Improvement Program of the Year Award.
Today’s theme—Artsy Thursday—is all about children getting creative.
The best kinds of arts projects for young children are open-ended ones, where there is no pre-determined final product. The joy of open-ended art is in the process, not the end product. Open-ended art allows children to make choices, use their imaginations, and create with their hands. Art also helps children develop fine motor skills, critical thinking skills, social skills, and problem solving skills.
Keep some basic art supplies around such as paper, colors, or school glue for whenever creativity calls. Things you already have around the house can be art supplies, too! Use old magazines, clean food cartons, dry pasta, boxes, pinecones, or old socks. The only limit is your imagination.
Want to show off what your children created today? Share it with us on Facebook or Twitter using #woyc.
Explore some of these articles and activities from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to help you celebrate.
For the Classroom
- Every Color on the Canvas: Using Art to Explore Preschoolers’ Understanding of Differences
- Centros de aprendizaje: Arte
- Mathematical Masterpieces: Exploring Math Through Art
- How Process Art Experiences Support Preschoolers
- كیف تدعم التجارب الفنیة التي تركز على المعالجة الأطفال في مرحلة ریاض الأطفال
- Preschoolers as Eco-Artists
- 让学龄前儿童成 为生态艺术家
- The Making of an Art Museum: A Preschool Project
- Inspired By Museums—Both Outside and Inside the Classroom
- Art at the Heart: Creating a Meaningful Art Curriculum for Young Children