18.04.2020
Art has been discussed and identified with concepts such as beauty (aesthetics), goodness, power, and knowledge by important philosophers like Aristotle and Plato since the beginning of human history.
This discussion, which began in ancient Greece, has continued to this day. Art is a subjective concept that cannot be classified with words. Therefore, a precise definition of art cannot be given. Nevertheless, various people have tried to define art. According to Kant, art is a "game," and he sees "work" as the source of art. On the other hand, Hegel describes art as "the manifestation of the spirit in matter" (Türkdoğan, 1981). Picasso says that art is a way of life. Edman defines art as "the intelligence that understands life and puts it into the most interesting and beautiful forms" (Irwin, 1977). The English philosopher Francis Bacon says, "Art is man added to nature," while Fischer says, "Art reflects man's ability to share limitless experiences and thoughts." (Ernst, 1968)
Art is essentially about creating and deriving pleasure from what you create. We can never know exactly what the artist is thinking when creating a work of art. The artist expresses their thoughts through the spirituality they experience and internalize in their own emotional world. In doing so, they give meaning to the objects they use, allowing their thoughts to come to life. The most important characteristic of art is that it is an activity that supports all aspects of children's development simultaneously. It provides not only emotional comfort but also facilitates the expression of thoughts and the use of physical skills. Through art activities, children learn the quality and proportions of color, line, form, space, design, size, pattern, and texture. In the artistic process, children not only communicate through their experiences but also solve visual problems. As they transfer their thoughts onto paper with paints, they learn to think and speak through painting. Through group projects, they gain skills in sharing, helping, and working collaboratively.
In preschool, it is important for children to gain experience and learn by using their senses. Through art activities, children have the opportunity to effectively use all their senses. Children can effectively use their senses, including sight, hearing, touch, smell, and even taste, while working with paints, paper, and modeling materials. The richness of art materials supports a child's creativity while developing habits of using materials appropriately, putting them away, and keeping them organized.
Other contributions of art to developmental areas can be listed as follows:
Contributions to motor development:
The child's hand-eye coordination is strengthened.
Their fine motor skills develop through activities such as holding, grasping, passing, tearing, and cutting.
Readiness for writing is achieved.
They learn to use tools and materials appropriately.
They move in a coordinated and rhythmic manner.
They can give objects the desired shape.
They can use their body in a balanced and flexible way.
They can express themselves through body movements.
Contributions to cognitive development:
The child recognizes colors, shapes, and textures.
They distinguish between differences and similarities.
They pay attention to the proportions of objects and learn to establish relationships between proportions. They connect what they learn to real life.
They discover ways to use materials outside of their intended purpose.
They express their thoughts in concrete ways.
They begin to work purposefully and focus on their work, their attention span increases.
They organize their thoughts.
They try to solve problems through trial and error.
They learn to reason, their ability to make choices and decisions develops.
They become open to artistic explorations, their imagination and creativity develop.
They develop multifaceted thinking skills.
Their visual memory improves.
Contributions to language development
The child's language strengthens, their ability to express themselves verbally improves.
They verbally describe visual materials, their visual literacy improves.
They acquire concepts related to art and art materials and use these concepts appropriately.
They express themselves not only with words but also with symbols or objects.
They use critical speaking methods.
Contributions to social-emotional development
The child expresses themselves in concrete ways and states their feelings accordingly. Becomes more sensitive to their surroundings,
Is open to innovation and adapts easily to changing situations.
Gets to know themselves better, becomes aware of their skills, and develops self-esteem.
Learns to cooperate and lead through group work.
Uses their emotions when communicating with those around them.
Recognizes the perspectives of others and tries to understand their perspectives through their own.
Is open to criticism from others regarding their work and values their opinions.
Can interpret the problems they encounter and generate solutions.
Learns to make artistic criticisms and evaluations.
Keywords: Art, language, children in the artistic process
