Artistic Development

One of the most important parts of child development is seeing. Children are able to visually see art forms without realizing it. They visualize the world based on their culture sources and this influences their structure and form in their drawings. This is why students' concept and connections of artwork differs across history, culture, and influences by their environment. 

Below are the artistic development stages within children. 

1. Scribbling Stage-Ages 2-4: Children progress through uncontrolled scribbling, controlled scribbling, and named scribbling. 

2. Figurative Stage-Ages 3-7: This is the early figurative stage where children experiment with object drawing. Human figure is usually the first to form along with other images influenced within their life. 

3. Mid-figurative Stage- Ages 6-10: The relationship between figures is formed within the composition. Baselines appear, figures become complex, symbols are repeated, animals represented with human faces, and exaggerations of figure sizes. 

4. Late Figurative Stage- Ages 9-12: This is when background objects are represented, overlapping sometimes employed, converging parallel lines, more detail is represented, more distinction between the sezes in figure roles, and become frustrated with attempts to achieve greater realism. 

5. Stage of Artistic Decision- Ages 11-beyond: Girls tend to draw attractive female figures, horses , brides, movies, handsome men, and pretty images. Boys tend to create adventure, heroics, cartoons, and action figures. Children attempt to represent horror, criticism, point of view from different topics, and emotion abstractive ideas. 

The role of art education teachers is to help children progress from one stage to the next by enabling children to move freely through the stages at their own pace. The curriculum creates a stage-by-age development that includes certain media production activities in which it matches the stage-by-age dependent behaviors. 

Example of scribble outline: 

Art is not restricted to anyone. Art is inclusive within special needs students, children with disabilities, and children that are more advanced within art. It’s important to understand that children with disabilities such as visual blindness and hearing disabilities. Those with visual disabilities are able to create works of art by touch, smell, and sound. Those who have hearing disabilities can utilize their sight, smell, and touch. Children that are more advanced or simple are gifted/talented can develop their artwork individually with the teacher. In addition, classmates are able to challenge themselves with the gifted/talented students.