Little Learners, Big Creativity: Kindergarten's Month-Long Art Exploration

What will the next generation of artists look like? What tools will they use? What beauty will they create?

By Ashley Weinard

rom the first days of TK and kindergarten, students are invited to imagine themselves as artists. It is not much of a stretch for many of them: most are not shy about proclaiming or demonstrating their creativity with confidence and flourish. Those who are a bit more unsure are encouraged to try on the clothes and habits of the artist and live in them awhile to see how they feel. There are daily opportunities in the classroom and Lower School Art Studio to experiment, stretch, explore, wonder, and reflect on what it feels like to act and think like an artist. All this imagining and experimenting encourages these young people to embrace the creative gifts God has given them and prepares them to make their own mark on the world.

This spring, the kindergartners spent a little extra time pondering what it means to be a professional artist. During a month-long unit study, they were introduced to five artists—Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Alma Thomas, and Vincent van Gogh. They experimented with each of these artists’ techniques and created their own artworks inspired by the masters. The kinders drew, painted, sculpted, cut, glued, designed their own paint colors, and hosted a gallery walk for their parents. They also considered how it feels to devote one’s spirit and time to artmaking and reflected on what they discovered about their own love for creating through this exploration.

Kate said she feels like an artist when she is building. Addi feels like an artist when she paints outside. Rory feels like an artist when he is working at his art table. Andrew feels most like an artist when he is painting a picture of the Mona Lisa.

Students closely observed and analyzed works of art by these five artists and learned a little bit about each of their lives. Margot’s favorite artist is Alma Thomas because she likes painting things that you don’t even know what they are, and Alma does that, too! Ford’s favorite artist is Vincent van Gogh because “he does swirls and lines and dashes.” Eliana prefers Claude Monet because she loves his lily pond.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God “has made everything beautiful in its time.” These kindergartners are God’s handiwork, beautiful works of art with the potential to create. At this young age, they give us only a glimpse of the kind of artists they will be and the impression they will leave on the world. Guided by Trinity’s mission, we instill in them a reverence for beauty and help them build the skills they need to seek it out and respond to it in their own unique way. We love to watch these children grow into their gifts and can’t wait to see how they will use them to glorify God our Creator.

There are daily opportunities in the classroom and Lower School Art Studio to experiment, stretch, explore, wonder, and reflect on what it feels like to act and think like an artist.

ASHLEY WEINARD has been Trinity’s Lower School Visual Arts teacher since 2019. Before coming to Trinity, she served as an art educator in the Durham Public Schools and in museums around the country. She has three children, one of whom is a fifth grader at Trinity. In her spare time, Ashley likes to read, make pies, and plan vacations.