Touch:
The sense of touch can teach children many important concepts. Provide various materials with different textures help children reinforce knowledge about the physical appearance of people, animal, and objects.
Sight:
Works with sense of touch. Children feel and see the materials. Can see the similarities and differences in size, colours, shapes, and textures when working with different materials.
Colour Concept:
Learn about colours, how to mix colours, and how to make colour darker or lighter. Children will be aware that colours are not set things but things that the children can changes based on their likings or needs. Colours also help children express their mood.
Language:
Expand vocabulary about creative materials and processes.
Reading readiness:
Hand-eye coordination is important for future schoolwork. Many reading experts feel that good hand-eye coordination helps a child learn to read. Art activities can aid in exercise and develop hand-eye coordination and left-to-right tracking.
Self -concept can be defined as the child’s growing awareness of his or her own characteristics(physical appearance, skills, and abilities) and how these are similar or different from those of others.
Children like to feel good about themselves to develop self-acceptance/self-esteem. They will do things well and have good sense of self-acceptance to accept their strength and limitation. Art and craft activities can help develop sense of self-acceptance. The program must be child-centered.
When the child is able to accept himself, he will be able to accept other children
Encourage self-acceptance through art:
- Accept children at their present developmental level
- Provide an environment that is comfortable for the age level of the group
- Provide materials and activities that are age appropriate
- Provide creative materialss and activities that the child can work and complete by themselves
Expression of thoughts:
- art acitivities provide endless opportunities for a child to learn how other children feel about things
- experience ideas and feelings of an age-mate
- exciting things for a child, it can also be hard for some children to accept it at first
- learn to accept and share ideas
- they will learn that people can have different feelings and ideas can still be friends, this will develop child-to-child relationship
Expression if feelings:
- translate personal feelings as well as ideas
- emotional catharsis
- usage of colours and size or placement of representation often reflect healthy emotions which are difficult to express in words
Child-to-teacher relationship:
- teacher is important person in the child’s eyes
- take their teacher seriously
- learns new ways to be with an adult in the early childhood program
- opens up new type of relationship as teacher is an adult that is not the child’s parents
- learns how to share an adult attention with other children
- teacher helps the child discover himself through art
- teacher helps them feel safe to be themselves and express their ideas in their own way
Child-to-group relationship:
- learn to be in a group and it’s not the same as being in a family
- learn about following rules and instructions
- learn how to share and cooperate
- discover their leadership potential
- learn about advantages and disadvantages of being in a group
- learning to respect others
- learn about being members of a group in school can help them as members of social group outside the school
- learn self-discipline
- resolve interpersonal conflicts
Art activities develop both large and small muscles.
Large motor development:
- large muscles in the arms, legs, neck, and trunk develop first
- by the time the child reaches preschool, he will be able to use large muscles quite well
- painting with a brush on a large piece of paper is good practice
- only first developing large muscles that a child can begin to develop small motor skills
Small motor development:
- small muscles in fingers, hands, and wrist are used in art activities such as painting, cutting, pasting, and clay modeling
- small muscle exercise develops fine motor control
- can grow stronger only by practice and exercise
Hand-eye coordination:
- ability to use hand(s) and eyes at the same time
- important for future school work
- it is believed that good hand-eye coordination helps a child learns to read because he needs to hold a book with both hands and using eyes to read from left-right
Focus on the development of creative and expressive attitude through imagination and thinking.
Active involvement in various art activities such as drawing, craft, music, singing, drama and poem enable student to reveal themselves and express their ideas. It is important as it can help student develops self-esteem and understanding of their own choices.
The 5 aspects in the component:
- Environment and beauty of nature
- Painting and craft
- Music, singing, and creative movement
- Drama and poem
- Cultural heritage
Bring students to explore, obseve, recognize and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Give opportunities to express feeling and develop creative skills by drawing, crafting, music, singing, creative movement, poem and drama.
Active involvement can encourage student’s cognitive, affection and psychomotor development and foster aesthetical value. Also expose students to songs, music, games, crafts and traditional equipment in order for them to recognize and appreciate culture heritage of various races in Malaysia.
