Ann is 6 years old. She is a very active girl and she loves drawing and painting. She is much focused when working on her drawing. As any child of her age, Ann is at the pre schematic stage. She does not scribble anymore but focuses on details. Notably, Ann’s drawings are not very realistic and the forms are quite geometric. Ann prefers bright colors and this makes her drawings even less realistic. Admittedly, at this stage, children do not focus on realistic representation of detail but focus on their preferences or mood (“Young in Art” 13). Therefore, drawings are often a reflection of their mood or psychological state.
I observed Ann drawing and asked some questions. She eagerly answered my questioned and did not mind my presence. More so, Ann was willing to give her comments on her drawing. It is possible to say that she was telling an entire story and simultaneously provided illustrations to her story. Sometimes she changed her mind and added new details or started the story from the beginning. Now I see that Ann loves fairy tales as she was telling a story about two princes and their adventures.
This brings me to the idea that according to Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory; Ann was practicing both linguistic and visual/spatial intelligence (Mayesky 89). Of course, the major task she was completing was drawing. Nonetheless, she was also creating a simple story about the images she was depicting. As has been mentioned above, Ann did not focus on realistic representation and she drew objects in different parts of the paper.
It is noteworthy that researchers often note that parents should not interfere in the child’s creative activity but certain guidance is possible (“Young in Art” 3). I tried to assist Ann and add realism to her drawings as she seems to be ready to enter the next stage of art development. Interestingly, she appreciated my advice concerning shapes or some details but she did not want to follow my instructions when it came to colors. She even got upset and could calm down only when I asked her to continue telling her story. The child is ready to acquire more skills and make her drawings more sophisticated but she is still unwilling to change her color preferences.
She does not sacrifice her mood and uses colors she finds appropriate or, simply, nice. For her, it is important to share her emotions through colors. Thus, I assume parents can observe and even interfere in a child’s creative work but this should be done very carefully. It is possible and even appropriate to share some techniques but it is inappropriate to force the child to draw in a way the parent does. This can discourage the child.
In conclusion, it is possible to note that Ann helped me better understand the art development of children. A variety of readings provided me with facts and data, but Ann showed me a real-life example. She is acquiring new skills but she is still expressing her mood with the help of colors. I also understand when guidance is possible and what pieces of advice can discourage a child from drawing. This observation also helped me see how different types of intelligence can be combined. I believe Ann will become a creative person who will be good at humanitarian disciplines.
Works Cited
Mayesky, Mary. Creative Activities for Young Children. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Young in Art: A Developmental Look at Child Art. 2006. Web.