A lot of my posts focus on how art making facilitates developmental and communication skills in children. It is equally important to recognize that art making facilitates meaningful expression of emotion and life experiences. This young artist built a train out of the crystal climbers at the light table. She has verbalized interest in the train before, and her mother explained that her father takes a train to work in another city.
She spent a large portion of the class playing with the train that she built, mostly narrating her play with the construction. She used the blocks to create what is forefront in her mind and her life at the moment. Building the train out of blocks allowed her to express what is happening in her life through art, and provided the opportunity to verbalize her experiences as well. She has used art making as a means of self-expression, which allows for others to naturally see what is foremost in her thoughts and feelings.
