Early SMARTS

7 Early Arts Skills

Developed by SMARTS, Students Motivated by the Arts

Color Knowledge

Like letters and numbers, children need to know the colors of the rainbow before entering Kindergarten. ROYGBIV is an acronym for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet that is typically used by art teachers in grade schools. However, for the PK audience who is still learning letters, purple, pink, and brown are more important to learn than indigo and violet. Black, gray, and white may be taught in terms of light and darkness.

Fine Motor Practice

In order to do most arts activities, especially painting, playing piano, telling stories with movement, and writing, children need practice developing the coordination of their bodies. Most importantly, opportunities in the arts will help students develop strength in their fingers, hands, and wrists and build balance and coordination in their feet and legs.

Rhythm Sense

Children must understand that speaking/reading, visual art, music, and dancing all possess patterns that repeat through sound, movement, or images. Speed, volume, and vibrancy affect rhythm. A steady beat (tempo), like a heartbeat or rhythm of walking feet, is a central defining rhythm that controls or drives other rhythms. Children must experience the opportunity to try creating or replicating rhythms in unison with groups in order to have a foundation for how visual, auditory, or kinesthetic patterns in the arts are created.

Curiosity, Exploration, and Patience

Children need the opportunity to try new things, experiment, and explore with their five senses - sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. It is important for children to have the freedom to make choices and witness the cause-and-effect nature of their choices. Children must experience the difference between control and lack of control, speed versus wait-time, and the effect those have on the art.

Courage and Confidence

Children need the freedom and safety to develop confidence with the arts by making mistakes, starting over, and working through obstacles. Practicing these skills builds confidence working through problems, which builds a foundation for resiliency. Sharing a creative work of art and receiving affirmation from adults and peers at a young age also helps build children’s self-esteem and sense of worth. This validates a child’s self-expression and encourages use of imagination.

Creative Play

Children need to experience playing with art in an unstructured environment without plans, time restraints, or expectations. When children are in charge of constructing their own experiences, they are given the opportunity to pursue something they enjoy. When playing creatively, children produce narratives, build representational structures/objects from blocks, innovate by finding new ways to play with common toys, and learn to cooperate with peers in conceptual scenarios. Playing is not only a way for children to process their experiences, but it also helps children heal and recover from challenges or conflicts in their day.

Arts Experiences

Children need exposure to all of the arts disciplines in order to have the opportunity to pursue a creative interest of their choice. Trips to museums, live music events, dance recitals, book readings, and live theater for younger audiences (interacting with characters in costume) helps children witness artists in careers at young ages and exposes them to the quality, variety, diversity, and culture of art. If these experiences are not accessible, videos from Internet sources, virtual events, libraries, after-school programs, and free public art venues/centers may be possible resources.