While reading a respectable article from a respectable publication I came across this list of dos and don’ts. I read the list nodding my head, because I had read this again and again and heard this list of guidelines for years as the “proper and only way to foster art, blah, blah, blah.ad nauseam ad infinitum.

As an educator and someone who has worked in the trenches – not just the field – but with the actual lives of children for over a quarter of a century, my smile turned up once again at the list. First you read it – then we’ll talk.

The following guidelines for teachers will foster creativity in the young child.

1. Avoid patterns, ditto outlines, and coloring books. Allow children opportunities to experiment with art materials and media. Unstructured and “raw materials” allows the chance for creative expression.

2. Art allows children to develop positive views of themselves. Praise the child for working with the art supplies. Emphasize, “You can.” Discourage the use of models and patterns.

3. Praise the child’s work. Communicate that you value uniqueness, diversity, and difference.

4. Comment on design, shape, and color. Avoid making the child tell you “what” the picture is about. This is especially true for younger children as they may not know.

5. Show how to use the art materials provided. Avoid doing the work for them or editing their work.

6. Relate to parents that in art, the process is more important than the product.

7. Provide opportunities for children to view works of art. Take a field trip to the library or local museum. Display great art in the classroom.

My argument with any of this list is that it narrows the experience of art just like the warnings about what not to do. By discarding pre-pictured supplies like coloring books, which children love, you are actually limiting some children’s desire to create. There are some children who learn to color well by using pre-pictured supplies. Then, with coloring well in hand, they can branch out to do other things and be very very pleased with the product. At the same time, unstructured raw materials can be very frustrating to children who are not lead through their use. Many children will not make the connections between a raw material and making anything at all, and art will become the hated thing to do. A comfort zone in art is important to develop because then the craft of art is allowed to elevate into “art.”

Allowing a child to talk about his work is always a good thing. Asking a child about his work says, “I care about you.” If a child doesn’t know, you might tell him what you see. This always brings a smile and hug. When a teacher takes the time to really look at a child’s work, there is a bond that stays and stays. Teaching and doing take a lot of trust, and trust is made through communication.

One of the most cherished things we do at the GS is “directed drawing.” We show a child how to draw things in his or her world. The children love this. They make all kinds of things that they would have had to wait years to learn to draw, and the children love the outcome – namely the product. Children love to do, but they are human and the product is very important to them. They want to know they have achieved and that they have accomplished something they set out to do. The process is not always a delight. One of those not so delightful mediums is paper mache.

Art can’t be limited by the intentions of PC themes and “age appropriate” agendas. It’s a natural wonder and something that happens when it is least expected. It’s a discovery that exercises the mind and the body. Instead of do this and don’t do that for art how about “Just do it.”