Suche
Mein Konto
Art Education for Children: Six Ways to Creative Self-Education!
On March 25, 2025, Katrin Höhne will present her model for art education and self-education for children at the PH Karlsruhe.
Art Education for Children: Six Ways to Creative Self-Education!
Today, on March 25, 2025, the important topic of art education in the context of children's self-education will be highlighted at the Karlsruhe University of Education (PHKA). In a current press release, Katrin Höhne, a doctoral student at PHKA, emphasizes the relevance of children's individual needs in art education. Höhne has developed a concept with six central design motivations that reflect the different reasons why children create art.
These design motivations are:
| Motivation category | Description |
|---|---|
| Trace of the body (manifestation) | Children leave physical traces in their art creation. |
| Material exploration (exploration) | The testing and discovery of materials. |
| Form finding (invention) | Creative processes to develop forms. |
| Expression of unstable inner images (expression) | Emotional content finds expression in art. |
| Narration of stable inner images (narration) | Stories and stabilized thoughts are processed artistically. |
| Reproduction of external images (imitation) | The imitation of existing images and impressions. |
Diversity of motivations
Höhne's research shows that several of these motivations can be active at the same time, with one often being in the foreground. Especially with small children, the motivation to leave a mark is often dominant. In middle childhood, however, it is observed that children arrange artistic elements more consciously.
Another important aspect of Höhne's work is the attitude of adults towards these creative impulses. Adults should not ask about the content or assign meanings to the motivations of manifestation, exploration and invention. Such approaches could disrupt children's creative process.
Aesthetic education in daycare centers
These findings correlate with the current discourses on aesthetic education, as presented in the lecture by Prof. Dr. Ursula Stenger was treated in the castle. The video stream from the Lower Saxony Institute for Early Childhood Education and Development (nifbe) illustrates how important the crèche room is as a place for aesthetic education. Various aspects of aesthetic education are summarized in a daycare manual, including art, visual design and crafts.
The daycare manual highlights that children have a strong need to “understand” their environment, which goes beyond traditional painting and craft activities. A differentiated concept of creativity education, which also considers the development of children's drawing, is presented. The article explains that children's drawings can be understood as “letters” that provide valuable insights into the world of children's thoughts and emotions.
In summary, Höhne's research shows that art education is an extremely important means of understanding oneself and the world, which is also promoted by open art education offerings. Lutz Schäfer, the director of the institute, emphasizes the anthropological dimension of Höhne's model, which goes beyond traditional developmental psychology approaches. The diversity of children's creativity is increasingly recognized and supported in education.
For further information on the subject of art and aesthetic education in daycare, you can visit the articles from PH Karlsruhe, Bildungsserver and nifbe: PH Karlsruhe, Education server and nifbe.