Art Planning and Structure
Adapted from an article in “Explorations with Young Children”
by Leah Levinger and Ann-Marie Mott

As you plan art experiences, keep in mind that the basic materials for painting, clay work, collage, and drawing can be offered regularly over the entire school year for children of all ages. The materials do not change; the artwork that children create with them does.

Planning Art Experiences Over Time

Providing repeated age-appropriate experiences with art that are at the same time sequential and varied allows caregivers and teachers of art to meet and provide for the changing needs and interests of children.

As a caregiver or art teacher, keep in mind that novelty is not the same thing as creativity. (Artists know this and they, too, use the same materials and themes again and again.) A 2-year-old who has discovered that she can make jagged lines or dots all over the page is not ready to be hurried into drawing people until she has had her fill of these, which may take months. In fact, the lines and dots may reappear as elements in her renderings of people — lines as hair and mouth and dots as eyes.

When children seem to be randomly going through the motions of a task with little or no personal investment or pleasure, it is probably time to vary the experience. Sometimes a new collection of patterned papers offered in collage or a large piece of colored paper for painting may be all that is necessary. Maybe you need to think about how to integrate art experiences into other areas of the curriculum to extend children’s learning.

How much art you offer in your setting will depend in aprt on your own comfort and familiarity with the materials. If you work with materials yourself, you will strengthen and enlarge your art program.

Providing the Structure for Art Experiences

The first step is to have supplies on hand. The quantities of materials will vary depending on

• the number of children
• available storage space
• budget constraints
• children’s and teachers’ interests

Many of the needed materials can be “scrounged” or found by asking parents, staff, friends, and local businesses for contributions. Among the basic materials for 20 to 30 children 3 through 8 years old may be

• 50 pounds or more of clay (amount depends on whether you recycle)
• one or two gallons of liquid white glue
• a dozen or more glue brushes
• packages of construction paper in different sizes and colors
• small glue containers (can be yogurt containers or similar containers)
• assorted visual and tactile collage materials
• large and small boxes for collage materials
• a variety of construction materials (egg cartons, oatmeal containers, buttons, beads, corks, yarn, etc.)
• assorted paper (smooth white, newsprint, etc.)
• pencils, crayons, craypas, oil crayons
• paint
• cellulose sponges for wiping brushes
• pint and quart sized plastic containers for water (transparent if possible)

Useful tools for teachers include a paper cutter, mat knife, scissors, and wire cutter. For children nails and screws, scissors, paper punches, stapler, masking tape, hammer, and screwdriver are useful.

These materials should be stored in an attractive, neat work area. Shelves should be easily accessible and have areas clearly labeled for clay, collage, paint, and drawing materials, and different kinds of paper. Hooks for aprons or smocks can be attached nearby. One large table or two smaller tables should provide sufficient surface space for small groups of children to work on.

Young children need a structure for their explorations with materials. Too little structure can inhibit children’s expression just as a too-directed experience can. Children must clearly understand the expectations for the organized routines of working with art materials. Feeling safe and stimulated allows them to learn and grow from new art experiences, as well as from those that are more familiar and predictable.

Parts of the Art Experience

The art experience consists of three parts: set up, work time, and clean up. By participating in all three aspects of the art activity, children feel independent as well as committed to the well-being of the classroom community.