How Does Art Production Reflect brain development and fine motor coordination. Include the stages of art development. Scribbling Stage, Pre-Schematic…

How Does Art Production Reflect brain development and fine motor coordination. Include the stages of art development. Scribbling Stage, Pre-Schematic Stage, The Schematic Stage , The Dawning Realism Stage and The Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage

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Matiyntion

Af uo point should * child be inhibitEd, criticr’zed or carr*ctsd while creating art during
any stagB of his develOp-rnffit. Usually in the first sfages of scribbling na special murtivati*n is
needed ercept to provide the child with the propei materials and the incouragement to go ahe*d
with the activity”

The child’s owa experiences are ferrile topics th*t can motivst€ aud excite them in an
activities. Class field trips, stories from books, personal experiences etc. shoutd be discussed
before en art Isst&r to help the child to draw &orn his own visitr:r, and thus enjoy and learn
during the art lesson.

Art Mstsrt&I$
The best mgerifils for thic ctege are simple and easy to mardputrate, fat hlack crdr3rors $r

martcers, l tnx 18o (or smaller) urhite papar, white c,hatk cn btack ppet or a chalkboard. t do not
recornmend the use offiuger pairts f,or shildreu ofany age” Childrcn do ntrt learn to use tools, in
this case a pnintbrush, nor doe* fingrr paiut eiuourages the manipul*tion of pint TJtc finger
p*iut disrracts t?re children *om the p*intins process, while they soil ewrything witkin ttreir
reach, the paiating a*ivity is fur.goten

Paints shouid be &ick teffipera or poster Fint$ with largs white paper and round rned.ium
sized brush€s. Play dough, or essy to form modeling clay ers wanderRrl in the derrelapmerrt of
fine ft$d gross nnotor cosrdinstion- Occasion*l use of coilage materi*ls frarn rand*m *trup.u
{NOT FRECUT SHAPES) can add fun ard iuvolvement in cutting and pastin$ Stencils can be
useful if }imited to the child manipul*ti*g and learnirrg how to us* ths stensil.

Allcw the childrrr tG cut their osrn shaper rsrng safety scisssrs. Tircy will dcrive purs
enjoyme:rt &om this actrttyand ehow greatpride in tfuliraclriwem*nr C*tiry with scjssors can
i*v’olvE a child cornplctely in his discovery in th* use of a toal. A child’s fire mator caordinatiorr
cax develop rapidly through the ttustery cf cutting p&F€r. Some ehildrec ryill nst pos*ess the
g CIss rnotor ccordi*ction to cve!! hold a pir of sciss+a, lmw€ver tean:rg peper inta shapes c*r:
fuIfill fhe childs aeed to maripulate pper inta shapes of tris orant de*iga.

– –

A di&rent mode ofdrawing has begun- the conscious creatian cf furm. From the
disordered scribbling, to naming the scribbles arw €he ehild hes developed s lyrf,y to represerr
for*- {r: scntb}iug the child was mainly intere*led in kinesthetie activily, now he is invslved in
represe*ting the rrrcdd araurd him”

A chil.d’s {irstrtpresertatianal a$empts gr*rv directly from symbols the child was usiug
duriag the scribfoling stage. The circles and loagitudinai lines wiil cone tagether ts forsh I
p*rs$c. Uwally tlte child’s {irsi represerrtatienal syrnbel is a reaa. T}rc ma”l is typicatriy drarc
with a circle fior a he*d urd two vertical trines as arms legs or a bcdy. At this stegs s child is
cstlstarttl}f se*rehing fcr new co*ce$ls, so wla’le the “fira$” is always rf primary impwtanc* it,s
forrt n**y cha*ge m*ny times.

The constant searching f*r new csnceFt$ will cofltinue until about age ?. By this time the
i*dividuai peseru or “scfutffa’ will begiu tc appe*r. The child is iavolved in disccveri*g his oum
patterns, whieh rvili at times translate intc direct and irn*rediatr rep*sent$ions of places and
flvents” A child’s fselings can have profound effect upcn his e.fi c.r€etion. The msre stimulatiag a
child’s expetre$ces the itare dramatic and excitiag his artwork wll bs. ?he ckil6 discovcrs t!:ere
is * relationsidp be*wean his drarru”ings aad his oi.rts:dc experiences

The child in the pre-schematic stage is developing understanding of spatial rsl*tioaships”
fhe child may always appear irl the center of the picture, x,hile objects seem to flo*t rouud in
spacc. This is brcause the chitrd is just leaming to pcrceive bis place in the wodd round bim,

The size of objects in a child’s picture may appearvsry different than what they *re in
reality. This is because the child places imponant odects larger on the picturc thet unimporta*t
objects” For example, very large hands are commonamong children when they are drawing
pictures of themselves invslved iu a haads-on activify

Motivrtion
Aay motivation at this stage should stafi with the child himself” The child must feel art

ro be an imp*rtent stimulating experie*rc. A child should becolne involved in and ideatified
with his art experiences. BeEome iavolved with the childreu but le,t t$ern work oa their own
level, ard in their c$n wsy. Be sire that you find meaning asd excitement in the art experiencc,
with loe of encouragcnent aad positivc cnergy for the chil&an

FItt*rielx
Since the rhild at this age is excited by his abitity to r€Fres€nt *’hat is mtaningftI to him,

any afl experie,nce sho$ld prsridr rh* opp*rtunfu for dcvelcping msstery of the matffial itself.
Since thc PRSCESS OF CREATION IS MORE IMPCIRTANT TI{AN TI{E PR*DUCT sn *rt
material shCIuld be setected tbet meets the needs of the r€e group for which it ww planned’
Consfaa{y changing materisls or usiag cilte things in arl art projectcan undennine the integrity

.ofttre child’s..a*istic *xpressious. Good quality crayorls sn l2*X18″ lvhite p*per, thick ternprr
or poster paint with a rotmd medium sieed bristle brush, clay, nnarkers, *ollnge n:aterialq *re aJI

excellent art materials far this flge group.

The impo:t*nce of*l* schrnn* can only *e friily re*Iieed ivhen r+t understand the child’s
desire f*r a definite symbol, or sehema of a real cbjecr Although auy drawing could be called a
schen:a, here wE will refer io scherns &s a coflcept which a child arrivss at w”hich he repeats egnin
*nd agdn whex no intentional experience influences him. These coaeepts are highly
individualized For scrae childrEn ttrey may be very intricate while for o&ers the scherna may be

a siruplified synabol. The sshema$ are as varied as tire chil&en themselves arc. The schema of en

object is the c*ncept at which &e child has firslly arriv*d” aud it reprerynts ths child’s sctive
knowledge of the sbj€t.

At ahext age sevetl tke dravrirrg of,c huraan figure should be a recogniz*hle symbcl.

Usualiy *tl body parts are apparent and *lothing, even f*shians arf; present. Fecial fecfi$cs are
repre*ented frcrn very’ simple to the i*chisio:r of eyei*shes, canings a;rd vnrious detsils- i{an*s
and feet become imporent in rhe human fonn, but are not always prg$ent in every drawing.

Sometimes oval$, triangles, $quare$ circles, rectangles, or irregular *hapes are used as schema for

the bcdy, althougtr sll kin& of shapes cs& represetrt aspects of a human figure.
In the human schema the child is not attempting to cCIpy e visu* fona. The child arrives

at a conceg by a contbinatioa *f many factors, his awareiless of his own fuelings, and his
dev*lop*reut of perr*ptual sensitivities” The child’s human schema ea:r give us a *Iue as t$ ths

dev*loprnent of the individurl.
A*other schema that becomcs epperent at this pcint in a child’s developnrent is the “space

schema”. The chjld finds new relationships betrveen hjmself and ottrer objects. No longer do

objectx sseri ts fla*t a:ound i* sp**e in a child’s srtrvork. N+w there is a’baseline’* *:t whi*h all

ohjests in the child’s schenna will be placed. The “base line”, is just that, a line pl*ced on ttx
bottom of the p*per by the child, ofl top of ufrrich everything is drawn”

At the schematic stage of develapmen{ the chi}d has nat developed a$ &wers$rss of the
representation of a three dirnensional $rality of space. We ,ind tlrat the schema is usually a
representation of two dirnensicrs” The biggest discovery is th*t there is a definite order in spatial
relationshipa. The space schema is entirely alstract aad h*s anly an indirect comection with
nature, as *dalts know it. Another interesting visual way e child represents objects is to shaw the
insides af the cbjects as X-ray pictures. Hb depicx the inside of a building or structure
simulkneously with. the outside. A ehild n:lsy €ven drrw the insides of a humsn while shcwing
the ou*ide audthe spco arouadthemaa.

Motivation
Motivation at thi* $tege mu$t create an atnosphere iu whict the c&ild’s consciosness of

being a part afthe esviro&ment is stinrulaad. In the saflrs way we need to stimulate a grea€r
ar+ar€rlc$s of the *ctitr*s and fi,raetions afthe hup:an figure. The inclruion ofactions in an
arderly rpace concept *’ill k af greatest significance. Our motivation could be charactcrirtd by
the words: we, actior, and where.

It is imporxnt in a’rry motivatian that each ehild is pexoually involved. Ther,e should be a
wide range if trpics so a ehjld has ths opporunity to identify with his owu particularfutsresfs:
‘-Playi*g at Re*ss with My Class”, *Fl*ying Ball with My Frieuds”, ‘nVi$iting the Zso With My
Famiiy” etc.

Ms&ris$s
Materials used by children at thi* stage sh+atd bc tks same as those used in previaus

rtag*s, witb the additi*n of printing urcavirg and perhap* ufcund obj’eets’ seulpnre m*terixls.

The Darnry:fure- R.enlisr4: 9-11 years
One cfthc oufstanding charscteristics of this stage is th*t the ckild reeliues ?re is prt of c

society*a society ofpers. This is the stage where childreu are lemning tc wor* with groups of
other chil&e* ard cooperete much ss th*y will in adult life. T1r disc

At this age the child is beceming m$re awsre and senxitive tc his euvironrrrent. HE is
becoming mare criticel of himself end othss. !{e may hide his drawinp &am inquisitive adults
who may make seme remark abotlt their effarts. Studies have shcvra that there is a surprising
similarity betweer: drawings by chitdrerr sf thi$ age and the dr*wings of untreined adults.

Childrea ef &is age have a $sng dcsire to produce n*turalistic or photographi*nlly real
pictures. Al*ough their experiences h*ve rnuch do with their $tistic expression theyare e*sily
*ustrated if their wark dcss aot appear the w*y they think it should- Be patient with children x
this age, they are thcir own worst critics, adult futerf,ere$ce ccn only cause more &ustrstion in the
child.

The schema is no longer adequate to represefi the humau figure during the gang age. The
corcept ofthe kurnan figure as expressed duringthe schefiratic rage will give way to
differEntiation between male*rd female andmuch more detail will appmr. This is the stag$
wheu the base lines will no lcrrger sufficiently express their understanding of the norld. Th*
change from single base line to the discavery +f the plane is usually a mpid one. We also fird
thaf the sL7line is no longer drawn ecrsss the top ofthe page but now extends ail the w*y dowtl
to tha horizsn- He has not yet developed a conscious visusl perception of depth, but he has taken

the first steps toumrd such awarene$s” The child wiil begin o’rerlapping objects ts show their
relatioaship to on6 anoths in space.

At this stegs the child is becoming sensitive to the qualities of a material. It is of great
importance, tlrat chitdren be given the oppo,rtuniry ta irnprovise i:rdependently. There is a greater

ability ts use tools and multi-rnedia materials. The emphasis slrould be on the process of
manipulating and exploring the material aad aol upon achieving a “nice lookingn frnished

prcduct. Boys and girls will slso lrsve a prefersree of materials thal tkey want to wcrk with. Ask
thern whatthey sf,e interestsd in wo*irrg with. Provide encugh variety to involve all ofthe
chil&e,n ir a creative eujoyeble srt {ctirrity.

l$fotivation
M.otiv*tios dwing this period must sffiss the rewly discovered sacial i*dependeace in orderto
glve the ehild e feeling of self-esteern. An art experience must gile him an opportu*ity to
express thc growing awareness of seld and ta $stisfl/ a new curiosity ftr the envirsnms$t. It must
alsa inspire tle chitrd to us* the.nemrly found method$ of group cooperation as beneficial means
for achieviag results. Grcup projscts *re best suited to this &gE grsup. lrlany experiences can

morivate a group of children ta work oo a cooperative project Allow the children to provide
some directiou as to their intercst as individmls anC ir: gro*p si*utiocs

lf,fotarillc

$ome cft&e materiel* the chitrd has usod during previo*s BtEI€s of dcveloplent can seem

“babyisho to the gang age child. The chiid now has greater control ov’er th* art materials so will
preffr a variety of m*erials urhich witl enable him to become famili*r with new 11/ay$ ta
ccrabilro materials. If the child bas experieime i* the use of basi.c art materiatrs, tlrEn he will frnd
rew wsys to expre$s his ideas ar:d slrorv his masteiy of the medjuru. Respect far the childk
persan*l expre*sion is very irnportant at this stage, for ert can be a valurble medium forthe child

ts exsres$ how he feels abor* himsel{, and kis environment,
Now tke child is ready to put his theugfuts and ideas, feelings aud reactions into a visual

expressive fcrm. Craff work can l*nd itself,tc this child’s need to explore new mxterials and
fulfrli their de*ires tc make things. Care shsulC be take* rvhen choesing cra$ tulaterj*is f*r a
children’s art program” Many craft projerts are “busy work” wlich require little creetivity a*d ere
nct fulfilling the child’s uerd to “do their own thing.” A selectian of wao{ papicr-r*Schd, cloth,
buttous, l*ce, cardi:o*rd boxes; sffiws, colarcd papsr, etc. can be saved and *rade available to
the childrer.

The ability ta break away &om the scheme and to re*og:rize particul*r details connect+d
with the self and with the environrnect is on of the characteristic of this agc. Childrca betr+een

ages 9-l I are mors observa*t of’their ervironment snd their intcro*t irr natue ca* be sean in their
collection ofthings” Tlrey see thiags through their own experiences, &nd assume this reality is the

rvay things really are. We cafl s€e that nat*alisrr is not the ultirxste gc*l of this nge, becailse
thero is usually *s afiempt tc shaw natural colcr$, light effec*, fslds af clath etc. There should

r

be *o value judgment placed on a child’s artrvork- At this age the child ad his pecrs p.
plenty ef v*lue judgrneqfs about one anothels work. An adult only need ,*g;bA” –“.f
vested i*thE work.

The pseudo-naturelistic sfage of dwelcpment is very aigerent ttlan any of the prariorx
stages. Because wE are maitrly coneemed with eleme*tery arf dweloprnent *i *lt briefly cover
this stage.

This is the period sf a childls development termed, preadolescenl It is a time for seeking
greater independence form adults. There is rnare a*areness Sran ever ofthe human fig*re and
the diffsrenees bstween boys end girts, A prreadalescent is no longer a child but nat yCt an adult,
thus &e term child na loager applies. There is mcre interest in {bfiowing the *croqdn and
establishing his plcce il society. The preadol€scent also has developed r rtroog seuse {rf socjal
awareness ard the beginnings of a hslf-understosd and not eutirely wetrsome change in status.

. During *is stage, for the first time. the attentior has to bE shifted &om th* impo:tance of
the working prsc*ss ts an insrs,a$sd ernphasis on the final produut. The {inal product becomes
more *ignificsut with incre*sirlg age. The pr+edolescent has a critical awar$nes$ taurard their
imaginative a*ivity; rnany tlmes they lo*e fheir spont*neous creative *hillty. An aetjve,
stimulatiag art program is nesessary to ksep studints invoived i* the cr*ative proce$s.

The h*mrui figure takes on a predorninant role in the pre*dolescent’s artrrycrk. A
motvating rewardi*g afi le*so* is live model drawing” Studenx can take turns beiag the mcdel”,
thus feeliag* sefi$r of soaperatior and togetherness *lrU clnssmates. Mumh are excellmt for
wcrking i:r poups and learning appne*iatiou far the skilts *nd ideac of others.

h{otivatia*
Any art motivation shoutrd rfress t*e individual’s own oontributirn. At this sfage of

deveiapm**i it is imporiani io rei*f:orce individuafisiic thinking. Ji.r: art prsgrffn th&t} priariariiy
ccacenred with pmductioils mey:r:im rntirdy one of the basic reasons for the existence of a* in
a scksol pro8rars, that is- the pers*a*l invdvement of an individr:*l and the opportrrnity fur a
depth cf rci &expression

Materiah
All of the materials, whicb the child ha* trsed dwing each stage of developrnert, ure

apprapriate at tkis sagt. Tha differease is *let now the waythe child uses the matsriets wil
cha:rge- Tect’rxical prcfrciency ha* improved encugir thet the *hild rvill find new \liays to use
tle$e materials” More sophisticated materjals c&n no$,r be inuudueed sueh *s, ruater colars, ail
paints, draftiag *upplies amd rulers.

Ths B*velapruent sf Tws Crestire Type*

Samethi$g very’interesting sccur$ during ahe ereative prscess that reseerches don,t yet
*rlly tn&rstand This is the differext way$ in **ric.h hurna*s nreate. Hspeci*lly during childhaod
ory cen observe the approach that * child tekes when designing * picture or tluee-dimensicnal
object” Sar*e children witl produce rather uatur*lis*c *hjects *”hii* otheru wilt tend towards a
more cbstract depicticr:- T}wse rrv+ apprceches ar* te**ed,’vtsSamethi$g very’interesting sccur$ during ahe ereative prscess that reseerches don,t yet
*rlly tn&rstand This is the differext way$ in **ric.h hurna*s nreate. Hspeci*lly during childhaod
ory cen observe the approach that * child tekes when designing * picture or tluee-dimensicnal
object” Sar*e children witl produce rather uatur*lis*c *hjects *”hii* otheru wilt tend towards a
more cbstract depicticr:- T}wse rrv+ apprceches ar* te**ed,’vts$&I”, and’haptic.”I”, and’haptic.”

When we investigate the artistic products of these twotypes in their pure forms we find

that the “visual type ” starts frqm his environmen! that he fsls ss spstatoli and that his
intermediflries forexpu,ience are mainly the eyes. The “haptic $/tr)s”, is primarily concerned

with his onz body $ensation and the subjective experiences iu whish he feels emotionally

involved.
A visually mindsd p€rsou would be disturbed and inhibited ifhe were to be stimul*ted

oniy by mean$ of haptic impressions, that is, if he were rcked not to use sight but to oriert
trlmsetf o*y by merns oftouch, bodily feelings, n:uscul*r activities and kinesthetic fusiotrs. T.his
much is ciear fro*r researelL but what is rot obvious is that’o$€sitg” may also becgme an

inhibitory factor when forced upfli an individual rvho des not $se his visual experiences for
cre*tive work

Most peepie tend ts fatl betweeu thase two extffiie typss. Investigations havs shoum

only a few individuels hav* equal *mouals of visual and haptic predispo*ition Seventy’five

p.rr*ot of people }rave an apprei*ble tendency toward s$e or the ctkr What this tells us is that
a child with a uisuat type teudency wilt not benefit fror* a lesson that is purel3r kinesthetic, and a

child with a ha6ic rype tendency will rot benefit fror* a purely visud lesson.
Many art educators feel very rtlongly that there is no place in an art prsgram for coloring

boaks or ncopy” te*sans. Tfoe devehpnent ard growtl, of creative thinkerx in our society

depends upon altowing childre* to Ex?ress themselves in a personal luan:ter. There is no feeling

of satisfaction fer a child when he do*s not know which pro.iect is his on tlre rv*ll because “they
all laok alike. ” A polished. *eat, coff type af art proj€ct will cnly sstis& adr{ts and witrl meke
1fu Ehitd fe€i-in*gpgblE of urrti*g

*gpodn art” Engago the children ia tlreir own self- expression

ard valueble le*rning will k discavered in the cla*sroonn. lVe can plan art lesssrs ta *timulate
all cfthe childs cre*tive potextial thro*gh right saunds, msvetteilt, feclings” *nd person*l
experimes.