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Enhancing Literacy Through Process Art

by MaryAnn F. Kohl 3/10/2009 9:51:17 AM

If you want to hold the attention of a child, read a book aloud to him. If you want to see a child become deeply involved in creativity, give him crayons and paper for free drawing. We know these truths to be self-evident, for we’ve seen and done them so many times that we can’t begin to count them!

Follow-up a reading of your favorite picture book with an art project.

Books and art have always been powerful tools for motivating, subduing, intriguing, and delighting children. Indeed, it is proven through research that success in reading is linked to early and frequent experiences of reading aloud. As an article in Collage stated, “Reading aloud is more than saying words.” Following up that reading time with related activities such as art increases a child’s love and appreciation of books, and inspires children to return to their favorite stories with a deeper understanding and comprehension.

Because picture books are the center of a young child’s step into literacy, following up with easy art ideas that focus on the illustrator’s style or technique is a natural progression requiring no great expertise on anyone’s part. Activities use materials found in most classrooms or homes. For example, crayons and blank paper are the perfect combination for a starting point. Try this with a child or small group of children, and judge for yourself: Read-aloud a favorite children’s classic picture book, such as Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. Be sure to enjoy and comment on the illustrations along with reading the story out loud.

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Follow-up the reading time with an incredibly easy and enjoyable art activity: Simply draw on large blank paper with a purple crayon! Draw anything. There is no right or wrong way to explore art. After all, it is the process of exploration and discovery that is most valuable, not the finished product. In other words, enjoy the doing more than the end result. The next time you read Harold and the Purple Crayon to your child, you will notice a remarkable and directly related interest in the illustrations due to this very simple activity. Your child will start appreciating art and tie together the enjoyment of reading with the experience of art.

If the child was particularly enamored with the purple crayon experience, take it a step further on another day: tape purple yarn in rambling and looping designs on a sheet of cardboard or on a tabletop. The yarn will travel great distances with great freedom of creativity. Some children like to color or paint in the spaces in the looping yarn; other are content to loop away the afternoon.

When the child hears Harold and the Purple Crayon once again, the appreciation of the illustrations combined with comprehension of the story will be greatly enhanced and ingrained by the hands-on process experience. The child will have a more personal relationship with the book not only hearing it read aloud, but getting to know the book through hands-on process art related to the illustrations.

A Note About the Author: MaryAnn Kohl

MaryAnn Kohl is an award-winning author of art activity books for kids and founder of Bright Ring Publishing. A former teacher and mother of two grown daughters, MaryAnn also teaches workshops for teachers and parents. She lives in Bellingham with her husband and likes to play outside in her spare time.