Earlier this month the preschool one room read "The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds. The book is about an art teacher encouraging one of her students to make a mark while she was stuck on what to draw. As you read on in the book the child finds her inspiration by making dots/marks on paper.
As we begin a new school year, it got us thinking on how we could encourage our preschoolers to make their own mark in preschool! One thing we know for a fact is each child who walks through our doors is their own unique individual and we want to provide the children with an opportunity to make their mark. The children enhanced their fine motor skills by dipping q-tips into paint which also doubled as their paint brush. The preschool group showed off their colour recognition skills while they worked hard on their creations. "Yellow and orange makes brown," said Zayn. "Look I made purple," said Stark as he mixed red and blue together on his paper. "Red's my favourite.", Ezra showed to Elijah. "I love green." Elia chimed in. "Me too," echoed Promise!
"Communication also happens through creative expression. When children manipulate materials, explore music and movement, create symbols (e.g., mark-making), and engage in imaginative expression (e.g., visual art) and dramatic play, they are communicating. Creating and designing fuse together the cognitive, emotional, and physical domains – thinking, feeling, and doing." (How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Year. Page 42).
