Happy Artsy Thursday!

Today is all about the importance of open-ended art and creativity. Art helps develop social skills and fine-motor skills, while providing an opportunity to make their own choices, use their imaginations and use their hands to create something new. Here are some ideas for open-ended art projects:

• Write and illustrate a book together.
• Hang art in your hallway or living room and pretend you're at an art museum.
• Explore mixing paint to find new colors.
• Explore how using foods or leaves on paper can make colorful pictures.

If you share pictures with your students and families or if they share pictures with you, we encourage you to also share them with us (with the family's permission) or to post them yourself (with the family's permission) and tag @durhamprek and @naeyc and to hashtag #woyc20!

You can also view NAEYC's resources below:

Inspiration from the Classroom:

•  Every Color on the Canvas: Using Art to Explore Preschoolers' Understanding of Differences
•  Centros de aprendizaje: Arte
•  Spotlight on Young Children and the Creative Arts
•  How Process Art Experiences Support Preschoolers
•  كیف تدعم التجارب الفنیة التي تركز على المعالجة الأطفال في مرحلة ریاض الأطفال
•  Preschoolers as Eco-Artists
•  让学龄前儿童成 为生态艺术家
•  The Making of an Art Museum: A Preschool Project
•  Inspired By Museums—Both Outside and Inside the Classroom
•  Eight Tips for Creating Homemade Books

For Families at Home:

•  Message in a Backpack™ Family Field Trips: Museum
•  Meaningful Art Projects Parents Can Fit Into a Busy Day
•  Supporting the Development of Creativity