By Spramani Elaun
Sensory Tactile Art For Young Children
Sensory tactile exploring is beneficial to a young children’s visual arts experience. A child’s sensory systems plays a vital role in gathering information from his or her environment around. Our sensory system includes vision, touch, scent, hearing and taste. Through our sensory systems we can collect information and transmit signals neurally to our brain networks. Beneficial cognitive processing occurs for deep learning.
Tactile art projects can give a child a personal learning experiences through direct sensory touching. Tactile sensations help young children understand ideas. Visual art learning can happen from directly touching with two hands. For a healthy developing normal child tactile exploring can lead to better fine motor skill control. The child’s manipulations and art works are their understanding and learning from tactile sensory art projects. Tactile learning methods are recommended for highly active children. These types of children learn better by experiencing through physical action and tactile sensations.
Providing opportunities to create this way can help fine motor development, benefit kinesthetic learning styles and help visually impaired children. Exploring through sensory tactile art making stimulates learning in different ways than visual or audio sensory can alone. I recommend including lots of sensory tactile base exploring for young kids. Try many different sensory art projects that can be experienced with hands.
Tactile Art Project & Mediums
• Modeling clay play or sculpting small figures
• Colouring with crayons or oil pastels
• Paint with fingers and hands
• Paint with brushes
• Sponge painting
• Potato stamping
• Collage creating, cutting, tearing and glueing
• Crafting with natural wool & felt
• Sewing with natural fabrics
Non-toixc Art Supplies Recommended
Tactile art projects involve using direct touching, so I highly recommended only use non-toxic art supplies. I also recommend young children under the ages of 12 years use only art supplies that are non-toxic. A young child’s immune system is not as strong as the immune system of an adults. A young child may not be able to defend against coming into contact with toxic substances like adults can. It is important to understand that art supplies can be ingested, absorbed or inhaled accidentally. Many professional art supplies on the market can contain toxic ingredients which requires special care and instructions and usually intended for adults only. Ensuring that your child only use products made specifically for young children, will help protect a child’s health in the long run.
Nature of Art For Kids® Method
By Earth-Friendly Green Art Teacher, Spramani Elaun