Since its inception 20 years ago as a public-private partnership, the Ounce of Prevention Fund (OPF) has cultivated promising ideas in early childhood development, has used private funding to test those ideas in real life settings, and has leveraged public funding to support and expand innovative programs that advance the health and well-being of…

Asserting that displaying childrens artwork with thoughtfulness and care benefits children, teachers, and families, this book offers teachers of 2- to 8-year-olds a primer of how to display childrens work and evidence of their thematic learning and project work. The ideas presented were inspired by the authors experiences in the British Infant…

Graphic strategies employed by children, ages three to seven, to draw a family, children playing, a birthday party, and a garden were documented. Results indicated that strategies were task-dependent and flexible. The children developed progressively complex graphic routines in relating one figure to another within a composition. (Author/SR)

Describes how preschool teachers guided 4-year-olds in a classroom project that integrated constructing with wire, drawing, and storytelling. Notes that children monitored and directed their work and responded to learning challenges. Shows how teachers supported learning of individual children as children began to influence each other's learning.…

The natural graphic talents of very young children do not deteriorate with age. Rather, aesthetic symbols are progressively devalued in the curriculum. Greater acknowledgement of the importance of graphic symbolization will improve symbolic literacy and contribute to cognitive development. (SK)

The use of young children's drawings as aids in assessing their levels of cognitive development and their readiness for reading is recommended in this paper. After showing how drawing development can be examined from a Piagetian point of view, the paper reports on an investigation involving 76 children aged five through eight years, which revealed…

Explores the extent to which social cognitive aspects of preschool children's free play behaviors varied according to two classroom contextual variables: (1) presence in different learning centers and (2) number of children and adults in those centers. Results incdicated that children behaved differently according to these variables. (Author/AS)

This case study of artist/researcher Ursula Kolbe was undertaken in 1998 to extend understanding of the complexity of the process of teaching and learning in respect to children's interactions with visual arts materials. The following questions prompted the research: how does a teacher who is also an artist work with young children? and does a…

Notes that a woodworking center in early childhood settings fosters self-esteem, integrates into curriculum, provides developmentally appropriate activities, and aids in physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Provides information in wood choices, tools, and activities in gluing, sanding, hammering, sawing, and drilling. Includes…

Giving children the opportunity to be creative requires allowing children to find and solve problems and communicate ideas in novel and appropriate ways. This paper presents 12 basic principles for teachers to follow when presenting art activities with children. These principles include: the process of creating a picture or project is more…

A videotape of one student, "Eric," age three years, engaged in dialogue with his teacher about a picture he has drawn, clearly demonstrates the rich language learning opportunities that language encounters on the topic of a student's art work provide for both the child and the teacher. In this encounter, Eric is able to convey affective…

The Task Force on Children's Learning and the Arts: Birth to Age Eight guides the development of arts-based early childhood programs and resources, and links the arts to the literacy of young children. This document presents examples of activities, programs, research, and resources that exemplify each of three guiding principles related to: the…

American 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children participated in an art program synthesizing the Suzuki Music method and an art instruction method developed by Yoshio Tamano. Children receiving the self-paced art lessons at home gained more in concept formation and painting skill than did a control group. (PP)

Asserts that the practice of drawing in sketchbooks contributes something valuable and unique to young children and to those who teach them. Maintains that voluntary drawings offer children a form of engagement in art-making that is substantially different from what they experience in lessons initiated by a teacher. (CFR)

Examines the place of art appreciation in early childhood education programs. Discusses historical changes in philosophies of art education and young children's capability for appreciating art. Presents suggestions for including art appreciation in the preschool curriculum, and describes ways to tie art activities to children's interests,…