Guest Post- Mrs. Ricefield

“It looks lovely sweetie. What is it?”

Whenever I’m busy for a little while and can’t play, my girls (22mos and 5 y/o) automatically go for blank paper and markers/crayons/pencils. No directions, no rules, just drawing and coloring. Sometimes art with kids is simply about trying out materials and experimenting with the process. To me that’s process art: allowing children to experiment, explore, create one-of-a-kind pieces that are as individual as their imaginations.

There is so much to love about process oriented art, especially for younger children. Here’s a short list of benefits just to give you an idea:

1. Develops creative thinking and innovation

2. Encourages exploration and experimentation

3. Supports children’s natural curiosity

4. Requires less preparation (yes!)

5. Supports the child’s natural developmental stage (including the stages of scribbling)

6. Encourages independence (don’t do it for them, don’t make too many comments)

7. Fosters confidence and a feeling of accomplishment

8. Encourages self-expression

9. Enhances cognitive, motor, language, physical, and emotional development

I said it would be short, so I’ll stop there. And what if the product doesn’t look like “anything?” That’s not important at this point. There is a time for modeling, following directions, trying to achieve a specific outcome, but it’s not early childhood. And even for older children, they get plenty of those in other areas. They also benefit from process oriented art sessions from time to time.

And on a personal level here’s another very cool thing about focusing on the process - my girls can do this together. The process supports them both at their individual level and they find ways to combine their creations anyway. So let me add one more to the list: encourages teamwork and collaborative problem solving.

Seriously, what’s not to love? Process oriented art is a creative mama’s dream come true.

To show my appreciation for Art Ala Carte’s efforts in supporting process oriented art in Portland and for all of their customers, I’m offering one free book of 20-30 pages of artwork to a very creative kid. See the details of the giveaway below.

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Iluska Ikeda is a mama, writer, illustrator, and entrepreneur recently arrived in the Portland area with her husband and two young daughters, by way of NY, CA, VA, with international stints in Japan, France, and Brazil. She currently belongs to SCBWI, the Oregon chapter.

If you’re looking for ways to to support your kids creative hard work and want keep some mementos saved from a childhood that goes by too fast, she helps you save and display your children’s artwork in beautiful books and slideshows. Find out more at http://littleartportfolios.com