According to a popular preschool online planner, a classroom's layout design can increase or decrease negative behavior. If there are too many open areas, children might run or behave recklessly. Setting up an arts-based learning environment with designated areas for various activities will provide order and convey a message of security and comfort. By establishing a painting nook in one corner, a little music studio in another and a clay sculpture clinic in a third area, you will be establishing defined spaces for specific activities, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
Children who learn to be organized develop into more independent people who perform better in their homework. When designing individual areas for artistic discovery, give each space proper organization solutions. Brightly colored storage tubs are ideal for housing clay, paints, crayons, paper, glue, markers and musical instruments. Having individual storage tubs for each student to keep his works in progress is also ideal. This will avoid clutter, keep students' projects safe and teach children to value and protect their works of art.
When it comes to décor, it is ideal to decorate in a way that directly involves the children. Have kids create a wall mural with a giant canvas, or tape large sheets on industrial paper over the wall. On another wall, you can rotate the children’s individual works of art within a giant collage. Consider scanning the artworks and print them out to form a grid collage. If your budget doesn’t accommodate the expense involved in multiple colors prints, display each child’s painting on a cable and clip system. By using the children’s artwork as decorative pieces, you will be giving them a sense of accomplishment to see their creations on the wall. This will motivate them to stay creative.
Having an engaging arts-based center for preschoolers should encompass drawing and painting, sculptures, crafts and music. Having a little music stage in a corner of the room can define a space where children can play instruments. Sometimes music can easily find its way left out of a preschool arts center. But it is a vital art form that will benefit children. According to Dr. Lili M. Levinowitz, “early childhood, a period of rapid change and development, is the most critical period in a child’s music growth.” Just as painting is vital to a child’s creative development, music is an essential art form that nurtures cognitive and creative growth and should therefore be implemented into a preschool art’s center, especially at a critical time in the child's development.