The Art of Play

Artmaking

Picture
Source: http://www.pinnaclepres.org
Hands on artmaking gives children the opportunity to learn by doing.  As they become skilled using a variety of art tools, they become astute problem solvers and become sensitive to aesthetics. 
 
Artmaking holds a very special place in Reggio Emilia Schools as artists or "Atelieristas" help students navigate their way through art education.  The Atelierista guides children in expressing themselves and exploring art medium. 

The Reggio Emilia philosophy is guided in the principle that children have a "hundred languages".  As Vea Vecchi states in her book, Art and Creativity in Reggio Emilia: Exploring the Role and Potential of Ateliers in Early Childhood Education, students are often just immersed in the two languages of reading and writing.  As she says, "Why these two more than others?  What happens if we neglect other languages?  What can other languages contribute to human flourishing?"
Children are born with these "hundred languages" in them.  It's up to us as educators and parents to foster the myriad of "languages" and the hundred ways they have the potential to express themselves through media such as drawing, painting, and three dimensional art.