Art as a creative exercise is called PROCESS ART. It differs from PRODUCT ART, in which an end product is defined before the activity begins. Process art is child-directed, it is driven by the child’s choices, and the focus is on the creation of the work. The outcome is entirely unique to each child, every time, and has no right or wrong. There can be so much value in the process of creating art when we remove the stress of actually creating an end product!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good holiday craft! I do several of them throughout the year with footprints or handprints or something adorable because I want to pull them out to decorate my house seasonally for the next bunch of decades. The important bit there is the objective. I recognize that I’m doing those crafts for ME. They are not for the benefit of the child. When I begin a project knowing I have a picture in my head of how it “should” turn out, I know I’m doing it for me. And sometimes that’s okay! The vast majority of our artwork at my little school though, (and for my own personal children) is process art. A great example is this blog - that experience was exactly what I strive for. I generally begin my planning-for-art process by deciding which skills and objectives I want to target. Is it purely a sensory experience (HUGE value in that!) or is there some fine motor skill I want them to practice? Is there some aspect of art I want to highlight - like color mixing or types of lines? Ultimately, my goal is for the kids to learn through the experience - it’s purely a bonus if the end result looks like something you actually want hanging on your wall.