Where Play Meets Potential
There are essentially two forms of art with children PROCESS and PRODUCT art.
Different people value different things when it comes to art (and child-rearing in general), but there are two main differences with process and product art.
Process art values the experience of creating with a focus on the tools, techniques, and experience.
Product art values the end result rather than producing it.
I am not here to shame anyone for doing craft activities with their child or in their classroom, of course there are benefits to product art like fine motor through tracing and cutting and following directions. It is also super cute to create a cute spider for Halloween and a Santa Claus for Christmas. I am not against fun or cute, but I am here to advocate for a more open-ended and creative way for children to express themselves through art.
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With process art there is not one goal in mind. There is not a sample or pre-cut pieces carefully laid out by the parent or caregiver. This leads to open-ended exploration and learning. Children learn best through open-ended exploration because they are not limited to adults’ preconceived notions about what the child needs to be learning at a given time. Children use the materials in a way that meets their own needs.
With a craft activity or product art there is a specific goal in mind. There might even be a sample product shown by the parent, caregiver, or educator. With product art there are also step-by-step instructions on how to create.
This is not the case with process art. There are no samples, step-by-step instructions, or right or wrong ways to proceed. You will not see adults correcting mistakes.
This allows much more freedom of expression and freedom to take risks. A child does not experience frustration with process art that sometimes comes with product art.
The focus of product art is on the tools, techniques, and materials vs. the end result. Instead of making sure I make something that looks like a Christmas tree, I am more concerned about the colors I am using, how to get the paint on the paper, or how to get something to stick where I want it to. This focus lends well to problem-solving and vocabulary development.
When there are more restrictions and a specific goal in mind with art, a child can feel confined and frustrated. They may make “mistakes” that lead them to feel insecure or not good enough.
With open-ended process art children do not feel these same frustrations. They are free to explore and create as they wish. They get to make more choices, which reduces tantrums and meltdowns. Choices also allow them to feel self-esteem.
This is not to say process art is always calm. Sometimes it is rambunctious and messy, but the point is children feel joy not frustration.
There are so many skills that process art supports and many of them are life skills. Check out mindinthemaking.org for more on essential life skills. Without confinement to a specific product, children have the freedom to choose and express themselves.
Making choices and putting marks down that represent thoughts, feelings, and experiences can be risky and can take some self-regulation. Putting ourselves in a vulnerable place can be considered emotionally risky and therefore process art develops those risk taking skills.
Oftentimes with process art you will hear a child say, “Look what I made!” more so than with a craft activity. They are proud of their work and what they accomplished. They have more ownership over what they did because there were more skills involved.
How many times have you gone into a school and on the bulletin board is 20 of the exact same “Insert craft here?”
That would be considered product art.
And while yes, product art has some great benefits of fine motor and following directions, it lacks some of the originality that process art can give.
Don’t get me wrong, my mom still has some of the crafts I made in school and treasures them, but when creating a unique gift or card for a loved one, I think it is better to have their unique work. I personally love the scribbles and random sizing and placement of toddler process art vs. adult-directed “put that circle here” kind of work.
Crafty Crayons Shop Car Crayons
A Good Life Products Toddler Art Smock
Junebug Essentials Plant-based DIY Finger-paint
Please add your process art ideas in the comments below. I love getting more inspiration from others.
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