P.O. Box 1074 Mooloolaba Qld 4557 |
Combining the Arts
1 March 08It's natural for your preschooler to combine art with movement, rhymes, music, drama, and dance. Expression in one art form stimulates greater expressiveness in other arts, and children instinctively treat the arts as interrelated. It is not uncommon for a child to paint as if dancing the brush across the paper and then stand up and dance across the floor in a similar fashion. For another child upon completion of a well-decorated mask, he might break into a spontaneous drama pretending to be a character who sings to the cat. Through creativity, the elements of pattern, space, rhythm, and contrast overlap and find expression among all of the arts.
Have you ever greeted your child only to learn she was at that moment pretending to be a lion? Or a fire fighter? Or a nurse? Trying out roles in pretend play is part and parcel of your preschooler's development in the area of imagination. Props often help spur on the urge for dramatic play, and homemade props have the added benefit of helping your child develop self-esteem through creative expression—"Look at my dinosaur mask! I made it myself—Grrrrr!"
Join your child in mask making and masked play. Think about your child's interests and look for an opportune moment to extend her play with this art activity. Perhaps your child and a friend enjoy a song about animals or other characters. Invite them to make masks to fit a chosen song and sing and act it out.
You'll need:
· A mask base (a paper plate, cardboard or poster board, with string to tie it on)
· Art supplies (construction paper, tissue paper, glue, tape, string, scraps of fabric, magic markers, glitter, paint, crayons, scissors, beads, etc.)
Directions:
1. Ask your child what sort of mask she would like to make—big or little, a made-up creature or real creature, etc.
2. Help your child select a mask base and help cut out eye holes in the base.
3. Decorate! Allow your child to take the lead as much as possible in this process.
When the mask is complete, put it on and let the play begin! Sing a familiar song or play a recording, acting out the song or story or moving to the music as inspired by mask and music.