- All children benefit from creativity-boosting art education.
Wouldn’t it be exciting to parent the next Picasso? There is no absolute measure for child prodigies in the visual arts; however, educators, artists and researchers believe there are certain behaviors and skills children demonstrate that indicate special talent. Among all prodigies there is one particular trait that children share: passion about their interest – whether it is dance, art, math or music. When a child is drawn to sketching as a primary source of entertainment, for instance, you may want to seek additional training. All children can benefit from comprehensive art education that focuses on creativity, as well as exposure to numerous art forms, styles and techniques.
Here’s a checklist of gifted traits to consider:
- Children who are gifted in art usually begin young
- Drawing is often the media in which children excel, partially because it is accessible and children can express greater details about a subject
- Gifted young artists often move through the stages of visual development at a faster-than-normal pace
- Visually-promising children stay with their art activities longer than other children and see more possibilities in the task they have selected
- Child prodigies in art are often self-directed, preferring art to other forms of entertainment
- From middle elementary age on, visual and conceptual fluency is a particularly significant characteristic because it is closest to the behavior of a trained artist
- Ability to use past information in new contexts, such as adapting mastery in figure drawing to render figures in other situations.
Did you know? Children who choose their hobby and practice schedule tend to soar.
- Akaine is a child art prodigy, who by 8 years old was creating amazing paintings.
You may notice the following characteristics in the artwork of gifted children:
- Art prodigies develop the desire and the ability to depict people and other subjects from their environment at an earlier age than other children
- Elements of composition, color, space and movement are handled with greater sensitivity by visually gifted students
- Sensitivity to detail and the use of memory are directly related to complexity and elaboration
- Even young gifted children are interested in detail and are more inventive in their drawings and sculpture than other children
- The visually gifted child is more likely to explore and experiment with media and achieve technical control, which results in a more elegant finished product
- Doodling and improvising with the effects of lines, shapes and patterns are a favorite activity of the visually gifted child. The gifted child uses his ability to invent, depict and describe creative meaning.Want to learn more about child prodigies?
The THNKR channel on YouTube is premiering episodes featuring child prodigies in a variety of disciplines including art. Check out the Thinkrtv Channel on YouTube and click on PRODIGIES.
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Abrakadoodle art education continues collecting children’s art from around the world as part of its Kids’ Imagination Project – a global creativity campaign. This year’s theme is “Imagine.” The postcard art shown is from (above, left – art by Manuel, age 10 of Lisbon, Portugal entitled, “Let’s Change the World!” (below, right – art by Jaeden, age 9 of Grand Rapids, Michigan USA entitled, “Jump Over Tree.” (bottom, left – art by Aidan, age 3.5 of Los Angeles, CA.
pen-mindedness, tolerance and an appreciation for a wide range of artistic styles are just a few of the benefits from participation in a quality art program.
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Excellence in the Visual Arts category (Primary level) for his entry entitled, “Trains are Going Fast!” at the 2009 Reflections Awards Ceremony held May 3, 2009. The theme for 2008-2009 was “WoW!” Collin, a Hagerstown, MD resident, used oil pastels on canvas to create his abstract art work. Collin was introduced to Abrakadoodle at age 4 and says that what he likes most is the different art materials he gets to use.
The Reflections Program was started in 1969 by Mary Lou Anderson, who served as Colorado PTA President at the time. In its 39 year history, the program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to create works of art.
