Open-ended art is one area in which ALL children can learn to feel confident and successful. With all the pushing down of curriculum, our poor incredible kiddos who can't meet the standards "on time" are left feeling down about themselves and school. We're killing their attitude toward learning!
One of my solutions this year is ART. Everybody loves art! I picked up this book this summer and didn't put it down until I had typed up lesson plans for all the activities.
This beautiful book is available through Amazon (click the picture for a link). The more of these activities we do, the more I see the benefits! For example, some of my boys hate writing, but when it was time for messy charcoal or pastels, they went nuts! GREAT fine motor practice!
So far, we've learned to use oil pastels, soft pastels, hard pastels, charcoal, scratchboards, q-tips and black tempera!
In addition to fine motor, here are just a few more of the benefits of doing more art in the classroom:
Creativity
Confidence
Problem-Solving
Planning
Shape and Color
Perseverance
Concentration
Following Directions
Using New Vocabulary (A Common Core Standard!)
A Positive Attitude Toward Learning!
Here's a great article if you'd like to read more!
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