Process Art For Children

I do love a good art craft, who doesn’t? Sometimes you will see kids walking out of the Sky

Soup studio with a set project, like a 3-D house they’ve decorated, or a clay cat they crafted and

painted. There is a time and place for such crafts. More often than not, however, you will see

kids engaged with unscripted open-ended art at Sky Soup.

I am a big advocate for something called process art. Process art, as opposed to craft art, is

when the outcome is not pre-determined by the teacher. There is no end product, and the

creative process is open ended. It’s child-led, not adult-led. It’s the process and not the outcome

that matters!

In process art the teacher is a facilitator who provides materials. It’s the teacher’s job to curate

the materials so the child can work with them. However, flexibility in materials is also important,

since supplies can have many uses. For example, you don’t need to just paint with a

paintbrush, you could paint with a fly swatter or a spatula!

While using the materials provided, the children take center stage by deciding what they wish to

make and where materials will be placed. This practice teaches them many things:

Problem solving: They will flex their problem solving muscles by trying out different scenarios.

What happens if I mix colors? Will tape be strong enough to hold together my project? Will

these materials stack? How can I balance this? How can I make the material larger or smaller

by using scissors, tearing, folding or taping together? This fosters an energy of exploration and

discovery.

Discernment and Following Intuition: Children use their own judgement along the way,

changing course if they don’t like something or want to tweak an idea. Over time they learn to

check in with themselves as opposed to seeking outward directions around their art.

Confidence: Children learn to trust their decision-making process and feel safe to experiment,

as opposed to relying on an adult to make the decisions for them.

Language: How would they describe their project? Does it have a name? How do they describe

the process? There are so many ways that art reinforces the understanding of language.

Independence and Self Reliance: This is what process art is all about. When kids learn to

trust their own internal compass around art, and are given the freedom to use a wide variety of

materials, they become strong and capable artists.

Celebrating Diversity: Children will see that everyone’s art in the room looks very different but

equally as beautiful. Diversity is celebrated and cultivated.

Teamwork: Process art with a group or class takes on a life of its own. One student’s interest in

a material or topic suddenly ripples across the classroom. Others follow suit, inventing things to

make, dreaming up what they are going to create, or beginning to work together in teams.

While process art is open-ended, there are just two rules to ensure that it goes smoothly and to

help build kids’ confidence along the way.

Encourage stewardship: I talk often in my studio of stewardship of materials. I emphasize not

wasting, and the importance of taking the proper amount of time and care so materials are used

wisely. I encourage kids to measure, think about how much they need, and estimate, so they

don’t end up using too much of a material. This not only keeps things running smoothly, but it

emphasizes leadership - kids using their own judgement, talking things through and asking

questions along the way.

Do not do their art for them: One other firm and fast rule is that I will not create kids’ art for

them. I almost never show a teacher made example. Instead, I redirect by helping them talk

through an idea or I provide some suggestions, asking them to draw or do it themselves.

It can feel intimidating to dive into process if you’ve only ever done project-based art; however,

it’s much easier than it seems! Consider yourself like a maestro of an orchestra - working with

the energy of the room without playing the instrument for each person.

Process art is transformative and fun, and I’m so lucky I get to create this atmosphere in my

studio at Sky Soup each and every day. I’d love to hear from you - have you tried process art

yet, and how has it worked for your family or classroom?