The Role of Paint in Early Learning

As adults --when we think of paint, we think of MESS! But for children in early learning settings, paint is a fun and exciting material that can benefit children in many ways. Children can explore their creativity and progress through painting!

At a practical level, using paint as a material can help children develop fine motor skills, such as developing their pincer grip and learning to control detailed hand movements. In addition, a fair amount of analytical and anecdotal data on the use of paint in early childhood learning suggests that this classroom material has a far-reaching impact.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_art_of_creating_why_art_is_important_for_early_childhood_development

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_art_of_creating_why_art_is_important_for_early_childhood_development

Children learn through painting: conveying ideas, expressing emotions, using their senses, exploring colour, and exploring processes and outcomes. Children develop language skills by describing and sharing their artwork. As a teacher, you can use artwork to create and assess students' cognitive development in the area of language by actively listening and asking open-ended questions. In addition, it gives students the chance to learn new vocabulary terms related to their project.

Painting can promote skills in the subject of science as students learn about the various colour mixtures and how they go together. In math, it can be used to build and understand concepts such as size, shape, comparison, counting, and spatial reasoning.

The material of paint can also be an asset when teaching young students about socio-emotional learning and self-regulation. Firstly, painting can help students communicate their feelings and emotions. It can also be applied as a sensory activity that can promote relaxation and calmness in the classroom.

Here are some paint-related activities that can be used in the classroom:

Remember that painting doesn't have to be about sitting at the table with a paintbrush and painting. The possibilities for being creative with paint are endless. Of course, various safety factors should be considered, including non-toxic materials. Children as young as four can spread paint mix on a table or tray by dipping their fingers in it.

Children are amazing artists!

Artist and designer Martha Skogen makes an excellent point in her TedTalk titled "The power in children's art" that children are amazing artists. There is so much to appreciate in the art created by children and their natural ability to make art that elicits deep emotions within us. She also stresses the importance of how we react to children's art. We need to avoid having strong and/or emotional reactions but rather engage in a dialogue that allows us to understand why the student created what they did. Embracing students' work and displaying it in a gallery will enable us to demonstrate our appreciation for their creations.

Paint is a classic staple material that is easily found in schools and classrooms. As teachers, let's explore our own creativity with paint to unleash the development and creativity in our students!

References

Kelly, & says, E. H. (2016, February 24). Why painting helps Children's development. Early Years Careers. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.earlyyearscareers.com/eyc/learning-and-development/painting-helps-childrens-development/

Kylie Rymanowicz, M. S. U. E. (2021, March 17). The art of creating: Why art is important for early childhood development. MSU Extension. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_art_of_creating_why_art_is_important_for_early_childhood_development

Painting with young children: There's more to the picture (better kid care). Better Kid Care (Penn State Extension). (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/painting-with-young-children

YouTube. (2018). The Power of Children's Art. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5_NhBeNry4.

How important is Early Learning for children?

I have always known about the importance of early learning. Judging alone by the amount of investment put into Ontario’s full day kindergarten program, I could surmise its significance.

…And yet,...

...it was not until 2020 when pandemic hit and children moved to online learning that I truly understood the benefits of early learning programs. My experience at home with my kids demonstrated that no matter how many supplies I purchased or time I devoted, I could not replicate in my home what my children were receiving in a school setting.

At the time, my daughter was between 3-5 years old –critical early learning years! My son who was two years older also missed his classroom environment, however, it had less impact on his ability to learn.

Learning in Ontario’s Full Day Kindergarten Program

Children’s self-regulation scores in junior and senior full-day and half-day kindergarten until Grade 2.Author provided

The Environment is the Teacher

Among many things, the FDK program has done a great job at a creating a Reggio inspired learning environment for children. During the early learning years, the environment is critical to a child's learning and development. Through the exposure of learning centres and interacting with peers, young child are able to make connections and expand their knowledge and curiosity. There are rules and routines that must be followed in a classroom environment and this builds their ability to self regulate. The learning habits that will carry them through their later schooling years are developed in the classroom environment.

In recent research completed on the Ontario FDK program, we have been able to see that this program's intersects children's lives in different ways and it not only benefits the child personally but it also benefits families and society as a whole.

"Children are among the most marginalized and vulnerable members of society..." (UN Global Compact)

Overall, the Ontario FDK program has many benefits to children and families. Unfortunately, this program is always under threat of decreased funding and even talks of complete dismantling. It is important that as adults, we continue to advocate for this program and recognize the needs of young children. We must continue to ensure that children receive the best start to life that we can offer.

Reference

L' écoline. (2021, January 28). The environment as the third teacher. YouTube. Retrieved

September 14, 2022, from https://youtu.be/CV_vFJspRM0

Cleveland, D. G. (2021). (rep.). ONTARIO’S KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM A SUCCESS

STORY (Executive Summary). Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://www.etfo.ca/getmedia/05d5d7d5-4253-48ca-92d5-

6b0b7e261792/210204_ExecSummaryDrGordon.pdf.

Jones, A. (2019, January 29). Ford won't guarantee future of full-day kindergarten after next

year. CBC. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-won-t-guarantee-future-of-full-day-

kindergarten-after-next-year-1.4998764.

Pelletier, J. (2019, October 10). Children gain learning boost from two-year, full-Day

kindergarten. The Conversation. Retrieved September 14, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/children-gain-learning-boost-

from https://theconversation.com/children-gain-learning-boost-from-two-year-full-day-kindergarten-79549? utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20August%203%202017&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20August%203%202017+CID_3b51c04b24b7444248b9dee39c2c63ae&utm_source=campaign_monitor_ca&utm_term=Children%20gain%20learning%20boost%20from%20two-year%20full-day%20kindergarten