Peita me te Tuhi Painting and Drawing

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Painting & Drawing | Peita me te Tuhi

Painting and drawing is a satisfying learning experience for young children. It’s a medium through which they can express their feelings, experiences, heighten their thinking and develop fine motor skills.

Learning and Development

Art is a language children use to express, think and reflect on what they know.
Letting children explore freely helps them find a way to express themselves using a different medium.
Guide children on techniques like using different brushes, crayons or chalk.
Research shows art positively impacts brain development, helping form strong neural connections.
Painting and drawing helps to improve muscle control, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Children begin to explore through mark making and as they gain confidence and control, they begin to express ideas and feelings through art.
Children represent familiar ideas and concepts such as whānau, home life and things around them in their artwork. Teachers support children’s communication skills as they ask them to describe their creations.
Centres often create group murals on fences or walls which allow children to work collaboratively and discuss their ideas together.
Mixing colours and experimenting with textures helps decision-making and understanding cause and effect.
Art allows children to express feelings they can’t yet articulate, supporting emotional development.

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How painting and drawing relates to the primary school curriculum

Continuing Learning at Home

Use a variety of surfaces:
Offer diverse surfaces for painting and drawing such as easels, tables, cardboard, wood, stones or water painting on fences.
Outdoor drawing:
Toddlers love using blackboards or drawing on concrete with chalk. Take photos of their creations to revisit and discuss later.
Explore different paints, materials and tools:
Explore various paints like powder paint, watercolours, acrylics or natural materials like watered-down clay to discover different textures and effects. Provide crayons, pastels, chalk or pencils to teach about heavy and light marks and shading techniques. Extend creativity by using brushes, sponges, rollers, and leaves for painting.
Colour exploration:
Introduce primary colours, bright vs. dark hues and shades. Discuss how colours mix and change.
Meaningful Art:
Children often create artwork based on their experiences. Engage with them by asking about their creations to help them express their thoughts and feelings.