Clay is a wonderful material for children to use when learning about their creative potential. It can be molded, cut, rolled, poked, prodded, and reformed over and over again. Unlike play dough, natural clay holds its shape and doesn't dry out or crumble. This artist was captured trying out various techniques with clay, as he learned about form, space, texture, weight and structure.
There is little need for tools when working with this soft, cool material. A more direct, intimate connection from hands to clay allows this artist to feel more in control and to manipulate the medium with ease.
Allowing children to develop and work at their own pace makes them more inclined to want to share their process and their product with others. The artist here responds to descriptive comments and shares more about what he is experiencing as he discovers both his personal skills and enjoyment in the process.
Working with clay also encourages development of fine and gross motor skills. As this artist uses his hands and tools, he is developing these parts of his physical body, while also developing artistic ways to express ideas and feelings. The artist here also seems to be very confident in himself and the clay is helping this increase in self-esteem, as it is very malleable and allows the artist to control the material without making mistakes.
Creating textures by pressing various objects into the clay is another way of extending children's natural desire to design and explore. Clay allows this artist to be creative and spontaneous, as he pulls different things from the studio to use, while his curiosity and interest continues to build. Since children live in a three-dimensional world, it is often easier for them to represent it through this 3-D material.
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