• Begin at about one and one half to two years of age
• Their first marks is group of aimless lines
• May be pleased with this scribbling and get real enjoyment from it
• Does not have control over hand movements
• Does not realized that she is producing these scribbles
• At some point, children will find connection between their motions and the marks on the page
• Gain control over the scribbling motion
• Go in direction desired
• Great deal of enthusiasm
• Can now scribble in lines, zigzags, or circles

Symbolic/Basic forms stage:

• Age range 3-4 years old
• Basic forms like rectangles, squares, and circles develop from scribbles as the child finds and recognizes simple shapes in the scribbles
• Finds muscle control and hand-eye coordination to repeat the shape
• Drawings are more organized
• Make basic forms by controlling the lines
• Control scribbles, making loops, circular shapes, and lines that are distinguishable and can be repeated at will
• Ask to have their names out in their works so it can be taken home or displayed in the room
• Early basic forms stage is when children can draw oval or circle, curved line or arc made with the same swinging movement of an arm used in the early scribble stage
• Later basic forms stage is when children can draw rectangles and squares. They can purposefully draw separate lines of any length desired

Representative/Pictorial stage:

• 4 years old and most 5 years old are mostly at this level
• Pictures or first drawing are different from scribbling in that they are not made for pure motor enjoyment
• The basic forms perfected in the preceeding stage suggest images to the child that stands for ideas in the children’s own mind
• Symbol is the visual representation of something important to the child, it maybe human figure, animal, tree, or similar figure
• Realized the relationship between the objects drawn and the outside world that drawing and painting can be used to record ideas and express feelings
• Human form is often the child’s first symbol
• Scribbling something of importance to the child
• Other common symbols include trees, houses, flowers, and animals
• In early pictorial stage, a child works on making and perfecting one or many symbols, covering sheets of paper with many examples of the same subject, may be a collection of unrelated figures and objects, sampling of child’s many tries at making different symbols, searching for new ideas, symbols change constantly
• In later pictorial stage, a child draws symbols easily and more exactly, producing a series of many symbols, draw one at a time with few or no mother marks on the page, and draw letters of their name.
• By the time they are 5 and half to 6 years olf, children generally are ready to make a pictures of many things in their experience or imagination
• Each child has special way of drawing which is refer as schema. It can be usually in drawings of 6 years old. The child express their own personalities with schema.

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.

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:

1. Accept children at their present developmental level
2. Provide an environment that is comfortable for the age level of the group
3. Provide materials and activities that are age appropriate
4. 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

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

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:

1. Environment and beauty of nature
2. Painting and craft
3. Music, singing, and creative movement
4. Drama and poem
5. 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.

Why is art important for young children?
A child’s art belongs to the child
No adult interpretation or descriptions can, or should, describe what a child has created
Part of child’s own process of communication and creativity
The first mark made with a crayon, dips a brush into paint or glued coloured circles onto the paper is the birth of a creative process
Child freely experience the sheer pleasure of getting to know himself in a new way, self-expression
Fundamental growth of a child
Integration of many skills and basic experiences