The term ‘process art’ does not to seem to be one that is used enough in an Early Years environment. It is a process of learning that is highly valuable to a child’s development. So what does is mean?
Process art is simply an activity that gives focus to the experience a child has when taking part. The end product is not the primary objective of the activity. A child will use the process to learn how to use different tools and techniques, to engage their creativity, curiosity and imagination.
Art products in early years are unfortunately predominantly product focused and adult led. This means the adult sets out an activity with a specific end goal, or pre-determined product to create. This is usually expected to be to a specific standard, often unattainable by the child.
Product focused activities often offer very few learning opportunities to a child. For example, they may recognise pre-cut shapes and learn how to glue, shop bought, “googly eyes” onto a mass produced snowman template. These activities are often designed to seem creative and produce an easily recognisable end products that can be sent home to parents. The child is often unable to recognise their own piece of work as they are all so similar.
We want to ignite children’s creativity and individuality, not mould them into a clone of adult minds. Process art allows children the time to really get involved emotionally in their work, to invest their own ideas and experiences and to create something that they are proud of.
At Unique Beginnings our ‘invitations to play’ are set up with this child-led focus at their root. They are designed to be capsules of learning opportunities and a promotion of creative, imaginative exploration. All of our children are unique and have a diverse range of thoughts and views which reflect in their play and development. We see the importance of nurturing this uniqueness, from the very beginnings.