Schools regularly find themselves dealing with the aftermath of family, community and national tragedies. In this article, two university-based educators share their experiences of working with schools to engage children in arts-based activities to support the processing of the traumatic events they endured. In both cases, children in local…

In this article, I present a reexamination of the myth of inherent creativity in early childhood to elucidate how still-dominant discourses of optimization such as child development, individualism, expression, creativity, and visual realism exert limiting pressures on understandings of the art and visual culture that children consume and create.…

The autistic impairments in emotional and social competence, imagination and generating ideas predict qualitative differences in expressive drawings by children with autism beyond that accounted by any general learning difficulties. In a sample of 60 5-19-year-olds, happy and sad drawings were requested from 15 participants with non-savant autism…

This article reports on the meaning potential of daily access to drawing/writing media for widening and deepening meaning construction. In a yearlong study in a second grade classroom, the author worked with a second-year teacher to see what would happen when art and language were encouraged ways of knowing in which children could construct…

Our purpose is to offer children tasks so they can make drawings as diverse and different from each other whilst trying to avoid imitation. Achieving this goal involves the increase of children's creativity. The paper is theoretically based on the consideration of creativity as the ability to create "something new, original, and in accordance…

This article presents sixty ideas for celebrating the arts. These ideas include concepts about sparking creativity among children. A list of benefits of arts education is also included.

Investigated the components of artistic style in young children, using longitudinal studies and a retrospective measure in which judges used children's later drawings to identify their art from earlier in childhood. Explored the concept of "artworld" as an aid in elucidating children's art and style by accounting for the "how"…

Young Artists is the annual exhibition of student art work from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, public schools, which is displayed from late May to early September in the museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center. The program is described and some of the winning artwork is reproduced. (RM)

Too much stress on technical procedure in a ceramics class can inhibit elementary students' free inquiry. It should be remembered that ceramics is a form of visual art and that art is a form of expression. Teachers must help students express themselves. (RM)

This book is intended as a guide for parents, teachers, and others interested in developing creative art talent in young people. The book is based on the following assumptions: (1) being able to recognize and knowing how to identify creative individuals with special talent in art, guidance can be given to maximize the achievement of their…

As an example of the insights into creativity and cultural influences which may be gained by analyzing children's spontaneous play, the authors present a case study from Jamaica, where they observed young boys making their own toy trucks. (SJL)

Discusses two broad stages of children's drawing--scribbling and representation--and the phases of each stage that children will pass through as they develop. Provides suggestions for supporting children's early drawing development. (HTH)

Investigated the development of individual style in 3- to 10-year-old children's drawings. Assessed about one-third of children as having distinctive styles; these children were most frequently younger and showed higher aesthetic and creativity ratings in their drawings. Considered the probable sequence in children's development of artistic style.…

Focuses on sculptures created by children related to dolls. Discusses different types of toys that inspire children and explains that students can learn about figure studies. States that students learn about topics such as posing and grouping figures. (CMK)

Discusses the use of pillows as an art form for children to explore. Addresses ways pillows can be used in art, such as: building things with pillows and using pillows and pillowcases to learn about design, to create portraits and figures, and to serve as a canvas for art. (CMK)