Sunday, February 10, 2008

A Guide to Painting in the Montessori Early Childhood Classroom

montessori students painting procedures guide

Who doesn't remember painting as a child? I remember the excitement of being able to use watercolors during the summer, at home with my mother. Back then, we had “magic” books where you painted the pages with water, and they became colored as the ink was released. In school, there was such wonder and joy when we saw our teacher bring out the paint bottles. We knew that any time the paint was out it was a special day, indeed!

Painting in the Montessori classroom is a fun, yet serious experience. To the Montessori teacher, painting for self-expression is the secondary goal. The first goal of painting is practical in nature. For the 3 to 6 year old child, painting is a way to strengthen muscles and refine motor skills. It improves concentration and coordination. The process of setting up and cleaning up is also a way to promote independence. Like all works in a Montessori classroom, painting is broken down into a series of procedures, as well as levels.

A Guide to Painting in the Montessori 3-6 Preschool/Kindergarten Classroom


Procedures for Painting

  • The child puts on apron or paint smock.
  • The child hangs paper on the easel with clips or magnets.
  • Using one large paintbrush, one color of paint, and a jar of water, the child paints until he is satisfied and “done”.
  • The child removes the paper from the easel and carefully carries it over to the drying rack.
  • The child, using clothespins, hangs the picture to dry.
  • The child returns to the easel to prepare it for the next child. The easel is cleaned with a damp sponge, the floor is cleaned, and the dirty water is poured out.
  • The child removes the apron and puts it away neatly.

Levels of Painting

Too many choices can be overwhelming to young children. There are so many lessons that can be incorporated into painting. Lessons may include colors and color mixing, (primary, secondary, and tertiary colors), brush strokes, and various techniques such as finger and splatter painting. Different types of paints may be incorporated as well as different types, weights, and textures of paper.

Painting allows children to explore and express themselves artistically.

They learn to develop an appreciation of what is involved in painting, and this in turn leads to a larger appreciation of the artistic works of others. NAMC's Montessori 3–6 Classroom Guide discusses setting up different accessory spaces in the classroom, such as a painting and art area.

Michelle Irinyi — NAMC Tutor & Graduate

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Sunday, February 10, 2008.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Have questions or comments? Let us know what you thought about this article!

We appreciate feedback and love to discuss with our readers further.

NAMC Blog Inquiries Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Search the NAMC Montessori Teacher Training Blog

Are you interested in reading back through NAMC's blog articles from years gone by, or for more information on a specific topic?

Browse a select list of our most popular categories below; by clicking on one, you will see every article posted under that topic since 2007. You may also use the lower archive menu to select a year and month, displaying all blog posts in the chosen time frame.

If you are seeking a range of information on a certain topic or idea, try this search box for site-wide keyword results.

Choose From a List of Popular Article Topics

NAMC Montessori Series

Montessori Philosophy and Methodology

Montessori Classroom Management

The School Year

Montessori Materials

Montessori Curriculum

Montessori Infant/Toddler (0–3) Program

Montessori Early Childhood (3–6) Program

Montessori Elementary (6–12) Programs

What is Montessori?

Search Archives for Montessori Blog Posts by Date


Thank you to the NAMC Montessori community!

NAMC has been providing quality Montessori distance training and curriculum development to Montessorians around the globe for more than 25 years. Since beginning in 1996, we have grown to build a fantastic community of students, graduates, and schools in over 160 countries. We are grateful for your continued support and dedication to furthering the reach and success of the Montessori method.