Modeling and unformed materials in the artistic work with pre-school children

Abstract

Among other things, the pre-school child expresses itself through the plastic art activities. In everyday practical activities, plastic art expression most frequently amounts to no more than drawing and painting on the board. Making forms in space as a domain of expressing the creative activities of children, is impermissibly neglected in pre-school institutions. Modelling is of extraordinary importance for the universal and succesful development of the ability of figuration in children. This is more natural and facile method of the plastic art presentation of objects that the child confrents every day. In modelling, the child uses various unformed materials of which clay, plasticine, paper end sand are suitable. Because of its relative uncompleteness, that is formlessness, the materials encourage the child in plastic art forming. Each material embodies a specific determination. The mode of form-making depends on its qualities, requires a specific tretmen adequate to its nature, that is, within itself It has its technical purpose. Unformed materials offer uirestricted posibilities for the development of the plastic art abilities of pre-school children. When we decide to choose the unformed material we have to take into account the age of the child, its individual possibilities, the artistic-pedagogical aims, and the materialistic and organizational capabilities of the pre-school institutions.