What’s Process Art?

What's PROCESS ART?✨

Young children love to create, mix, and explore with all kinds of art materials but are not yet developmentally ready to fully produce a representation of what they envision in their heads. Children build confidence and self esteem when there is freedom to create without judgment or predetermined outcomes and can take pride without comparing their art to others or to an adult model. For this reason the LCC curriculum includes what is called “Process Art”, which is just like it sounds - all about the process and not the product. Process Art is child-directed, choice-driven, and celebrates the experience of discovery. Children enjoy experimenting with art media and a variety of found and natural objects to better understand what they are and what they can do. Open-ended art activities inspire curiosity and encourage sensory exploration (and often look more like a science experiment!) This is different from adult driven arts or crafts when the child's focus is on the adult’s idea and directions or the child is attempting to replicate a model or sample. With Process Art the results are spontaneous and unpredictable and the child decides how to create their own artwork.

Through Process Art, children…

- will have more opportunities for creativity, independence, and imagination.

- will learn about the physical limitations and possibilities of materials.

- will gain gross and fine motor skills and improve strength and hand-eye coordination.

- are encouraged to use creative and critical thinking skills.

- will gain confidence and concentration skills as they work to realize their own ideas.

- are motivated to ask questions and experiment.

- will embrace experimentation and learn about cause and effect as part of the learning process.

- will make gains in social and emotional development through increased focus, collaboration with others, and feelings of pride and success.

The magic is in the MESS!✨