Although there is no specific Montessori writing on art in a Montessori classroom, we can only imagine the appreciate Dr. Montessori must have had for this approach to learning. Her emphasis on order, neatness, and love of nature gives further indication that she would support artworks within a Montessori classroom.
In addition to the general appreciation of art, activities within a Montessori early childhood classroom involve fine motor development, math, science, language, and sensorial. Integrating art into other learning areas is key to introducing art to children.
Montessori Art Activities, Materials, & Shelf Ideas
You won’t find crafts or step by step art projects in a Montessori environment. More often than not, an art project is integrated into another area of the classroom such as language (storytelling), history (visual representations of time), math (beadwork), and geography (tracing & coloring maps).
Montessori Art Theory in a Few Words
So, what is behind Montessori art? Here are a few words used to describe Montessori art.
- Exploration
- Creativity
- Unique
- Thoughtful
- Mindful
- Patient
- Child Led
- Process Not Product
- Appreciation
- Time
- Flexibility
- Sensory
How to Support Creativity in a Child
- Be open-minded about messes, mediums, and the direction of the child
- Learn about art processes and materials
- Understand what it means to be creative and the myriad of definitions that exist
- Read about the impact of creativity on brain development
- Embrace the idea of “failure” as an opportunity
- Prepare the environment for the creative art process
- Prepare yourself with appropriate responses to a child’s work
- Read this post from the Artful Parent How to Talk to Kids about their Art
How to Prepare the Environment
- Create ground rules with the children for the art space and maybe even assign jobs to help keep the space clean
- Aprons
- A variety of mediums with which to do art such as tissue paper, card stock, watercolor paper, paper towels, coffee filters, and so on
- A designated spot for artwork to dry
- Splat mats and plastic table coverings
- Vinyl table mats
- Storage for art supplies and finished artwork
- Liquid Water Color
- Containers and baskets for various beads, gems, crafts sticks, pom poms, and other supplies
- Variety of brushes and painting tools
- Various types of glue
Art Supplies for the Montessori Classroom
- Cotton Balls (your home)
- Q-Tips (your home)
- Brush Assortment
- Tempera Cakes
- Liquid Watercolor
- Water Color Paper
- Washable Tempera
- Dropper Glass Bottles
- Small bowls (Goodwill)
- Coffee Filters
- Work Mat or Trays
- Craft Sand
- Apron
- Finger Paint Paper
- Crayons
- Salt (from your home)
- Tissue Paper
- Small glass jars for water (from your home or Goodwill)
- Squeeze Dispensing Bottles
- Sponges
- Glue
- Small Storage Trays
- Paint Tray
Steps to Creating Your Own Art Lesson
- Observe Your Child & Determine a Need
- Determine the Prerequisites
- Determine the Aim
- Gather Materials
- Structure the Exercise
- Create the Exercise
- Practice the Exercise
- Present the Exercise
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