Leo Martínez
Painting on an easel is an indispensable activity for preschoolers as it helps them develop a wide range of skills. It is the perfect height for toddlers and preschoolers, allowing them to focus on their artwork without having to reach for paintbrushes or worry about tipping over paint pots. Painting on a vertical surface, such as an easel, promotes whole-arm movement, muscular development, and coordination, which can improve shoulder stability and enhance writing skills. It also encourages the wrist to bend upwards, similar to the position of writing, and promotes an ergonomically appropriate pencil grip. Painting on an easel can also help preschoolers develop literacy skills, fine motor skills, colour mixing skills, and emotional expression.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Literacy skills | Preschoolers can develop foundational understandings that help prepare them for understanding the marks in a book are words that stand for something else |
| Responsibility | Preschoolers learn to put on a smock before painting and to minimize mess on clothing by using smocks |
| Emotional outlet | Painting can provide a great emotional outlet for children |
| Motor skills | Children can develop gross and fine motor skills |
| Patience | Preschoolers learn patience and delayed gratification |
| Eye-hand coordination | Painting at an easel requires a steady hand and a keen eye working simultaneously |
| Small motor control | Holding the paintbrush itself and moving it across the paper is hard work when you’re small |
| Colour mixing | By having free reign of more than one paint colour, the small child learns that by mixing two or more colours together, she can create a new one |
| Sharing and cooperation | When two children work at the easel, they can create together |
| Creativity | Painting encourages creativity |
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What You'll Learn
Fine motor skills and muscular development
Painting on an easel requires a child to stand or sit upright, engaging the shoulder and back muscles. This alignment and engagement strengthen the muscles around the shoulder joint, enhancing stability. The vertical surface of an easel promotes wrist extension and ulnar deviation, which refer to the upward angle of the wrist and slight tilt of the hand towards the little finger. This wrist position is similar to that of writing and helps children hold a pencil better.
Easel painting also encourages whole-arm movement, promoting muscular development and coordination, which can improve shoulder stability. The larger surface area of an easel allows for larger movements and the development of more control over the marks made. Children learn to control brush movements to make the desired marks or shapes, enhancing fine motor skills.
The act of dipping the paintbrush into the paint pot and moving it across the paper in the desired direction requires fine motor control. This action is similar to the pre-writing skills children need to develop. The paint pots on an easel are also held firmly in place, reducing the risk of tipping and allowing children to navigate the painting process with minimal frustration.
Easel painting thus offers a comprehensive approach to developing fine motor skills and muscular development in preschoolers, setting a strong foundation for future writing and artistic endeavours.
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Literacy skills and symbol understanding
Painting on easels can help preschoolers develop foundational literacy skills and symbol understanding. When preschoolers make marks on a page, they are expressing their ideas and thoughts. They begin to understand how symbols can stand for other things, such as a house or a person, and this foundational understanding prepares them for comprehending that the marks in a book are words that represent something else.
Easel painting also helps children develop fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Holding a paintbrush and moving it in the desired direction across a vertical surface is challenging for young children, but it helps them develop the pre-writing skills needed to control a pencil or crayon. Painting on easels also encourages children to use their whole arm, beginning at the shoulder, which promotes muscular development and coordination, enhancing shoulder stability. This whole-arm movement and the upright posture required when painting at an easel strengthen the muscles around the shoulder joint.
The vertical surface of an easel also encourages children to hold a pencil or crayon in a more efficient and ergonomically appropriate manner. The upward angle of the wrist and slight tilt of the hand promote what is known as "wrist extension" and "ulnar deviation". This position is similar to the one children will use when they begin to write, helping them to hold a pencil better.
Easel painting can also be used to teach preschoolers about colours and colour mixing. By offering different shades and hues of the same colour, educators can encourage children to explore and learn about colours. Painting on easels also provides an opportunity for children to practice sharing and cooperation, as they can work together and create art side by side.
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Emotional outlet and self-expression
Painting on an easel can provide a great emotional outlet for preschoolers. It can be a welcoming place for a child who wants to work alone and express their emotions through their brushwork. They can use large or small movements, fast or slow, and experiment with different colours to convey their feelings.
Easel painting can also help children develop emotionally and socially. They learn to express themselves creatively and develop their self-esteem through the process of creating art. The activity also encourages children to be patient and learn delayed gratification as they wait for their turn at the easel.
The act of painting itself can be therapeutic, and the process of mixing colours and creating something new can be calming and satisfying. Preschoolers can also develop a sense of responsibility by learning to put on a smock before painting to protect their clothes.
Furthermore, the social aspect of easel painting in a preschool setting can promote emotional development. Children can work together at a two-sided easel, talking and asking questions about each other's creations. This encourages active participation and the development of social skills.
Overall, easel painting provides a valuable outlet for preschoolers to express their emotions, develop self-awareness, and build social and emotional skills through a creative and engaging activity.
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Eye-hand coordination and wrist extension
Painting on an easel requires preschoolers to engage their entire arm, starting from the shoulder, to make large movements. This is in contrast to writing on a flat surface, where the wrist and fingers are predominantly used. The use of the entire arm promotes muscular development and coordination, which can improve shoulder stability.
The upward bending of the wrist when painting on an easel is known as "wrist extension", and the slight tilt of the hand towards the little finger is called "ulnar deviation". This wrist extension is similar to the wrist position when writing, which helps children hold a pencil better.
The height of the easel is also important for preschoolers. It is designed so that they do not need to reach to dip their paintbrushes, preventing accidental tipping of paint pots. This set-up allows children to focus on their painting and develop their eye-hand coordination without the frustration of potential spills.
Easel painting can also help preschoolers develop their fine motor skills. Holding a paintbrush and moving it in the intended direction requires control and strengthens the small motor control muscles. As children become more experienced, they can focus on brush techniques, such as tapping the brush to remove excess paint and applying the right pressure to create the desired marks.
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Patience and delayed gratification
Painting on an easel is an excellent activity for preschoolers to learn patience and delayed gratification. This is because an easel usually accommodates one artist at a time, or two if both sides are used. If a child wants to paint but someone else is already using the easel, they must wait for their turn. This is one of the most difficult lessons for preschoolers to learn, and easel painting can be a great way to teach it.
To make the waiting time shorter, it is a good idea to cover the easel with newspaper or scrap paper, which can be easily removed along with the painting once the child is done. This way, the next child can add their paper and start painting faster.
Limiting the colour choices can also help reduce the waiting time. Providing only one colour at the beginning, and slowly introducing more colours as the children become more experienced, can help keep the focus on technique and reduce the time spent cleaning the setup.
Easel painting can also help children develop gross motor and fine motor skills. Painting on a vertical surface allows for larger movements, which can help children develop muscular development and coordination. It also promotes whole-arm movement, beginning at the shoulder, which can improve shoulder stability. Painting with an easel also encourages children to stand or sit upright, engaging their shoulder and back muscles.
The height of the easel is also perfect for preschoolers, as they do not need to reach to dip their paintbrushes, which means there is no tipping over of paint pots. The setup is also simple, with the paint already in place, smocks hanging close by, and the paper clipped to the easel beforehand. This makes it a simpler vehicle for allowing children to practice their painting skills.
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Frequently asked questions
Easel painting in preschool is beneficial for a number of reasons. Firstly, it helps develop gross and fine motor skills. Painting on a vertical surface engages the entire arm, from the shoulder down, promoting muscular development and coordination. Secondly, it encourages literacy skills. Preschoolers begin to understand how marks on a page can represent ideas, thoughts and words, which is foundational for reading comprehension. Thirdly, it provides an emotional outlet. Painting allows children to express their emotions and can be a welcoming space for those who want to work alone. Lastly, it teaches responsibility. Children learn to protect their clothes by wearing smocks and to control their paintbrush movements to avoid making a mess.
Painting on an easel engages the entire arm, from the shoulder down, promoting muscular development and coordination. This whole-arm movement is beneficial for stability and can improve shoulder and back strength. It also encourages an upright posture, which further strengthens the muscles around the shoulder joint.
Preschoolers begin to understand the relationship between marks and their symbolic value. They learn that marks on a page can represent ideas, thoughts and words. This foundational understanding prepares them for reading by helping them grasp that the marks in a book are words that stand for something else.
Here are some tips for setting up easel painting in preschool:
- Cover the easel with newspaper or scrap paper to minimise cleaning and speed up the process of adding new paper.
- Limit colour choices to one or two colours or different shades of the same colour to help preschoolers focus on technique.
- Plan a drying area for completed paintings.
- Place the easel on a non-carpeted floor or use a vinyl tablecloth or tarp to protect the floor from paint spills.
- Hang a shower curtain or plastic tablecloth behind the easel to protect the wall.
- Use spill-proof paint cups and consider colour-coding them to keep colours less muddy.
