The Nine Common Issues in Children's Art Learning
"Human nature is entirely natural. There is nothing that we cannot make natural, nor is there anything natural that we cannot destroy." — Pascal, Pensées.
“人的天性完全是自然的。没有任何东西是我们所不能使之自然的；也没有任何自然的东西是我们不能把它消灭的。”——帕斯•卡尔《思想录》
The nine questions are based on common concerns parents have regarding children's art education in drawing. The answers are provided by Teacher Eric, the founder of Seven Pines Art Education, the brand planner of Seven Pines, and the designer and practitioner of Seven Pines' children's art curriculum.
九问是基于家长们在儿童绘画艺术学习中比较关心且常见的问题，回答者为七棵松艺术教育创办人，七棵松品牌策划，七棵松儿童美术课程设计者与实践者艾睿卡老师。
Bayshore Art Studio Creative Art for Children Aged 4-6, Class Assignment, 2017
Q: What is the child drawing? I can’t quite understand what it looks like.
A: Children's drawings during their early years are intentional. "Intentionality is the ability of the mind to represent or present things, attributes, or states." As children grow, their understanding of the world starts with vague awareness and, through intentionality, they form connections with the external world, which in turn creates new consciousness and gradually builds and develops their cognitive network. In a child’s artwork, the "form" is intentional; it’s a form that naturally emerges during their growth and learning process. Adults should shift from "looking at the drawing" to "listening to the drawing." "Looking" is subjective, while "listening" is accepting. Adults should encourage children to confidently and boldly express their ideas, rather than imposing adult thinking and asking them to replicate what they see. The meaning of children's drawings is not entirely about the "drawing" (noun); it’s more about "drawing" (verb), and the meaning lies in the entire process of creation and artistic expression.
【一问】孩子画的是啥？我怎么看不懂像什么？
【一答】幼儿时期孩子们的画是意向性的。“意向性Intentionality是心灵代表或呈现事物、属性或状态的能力”。在孩子成长过程中，他们的内心从对事物朦胧的认识开始，通过意向性与外部世界建立起连接，由此产生新的意识，并逐步构建形成并发展自己的认知网络。幼儿在绘画中的“形”是意向性的“形”，这个“形”是在他们成长和学习过程中自然而然产生的。成人应将“看画”改为“听画”，“看”是主观性的，“听”是接纳性的。成人们应积极鼓励孩子自信大胆地表达出自己的想法，而不是用成人的思维要求孩子摹描出来。儿童画的意义不完全是“画”（名词），更是“画”（动词），意义在整个绘画及艺术创作的过程中。
Bayshore Art Studio Advanced Art Class for Children Aged 6-8: Homework (2017)
Q: Will the children's art class teach techniques?
A: Young children are in the stage of art initiation. The teacher should understand the child and strive to create a comfortable emotional connection between them. In the art initiation phase, teaching pure techniques has little practical significance for children at this age. Instead, it might make drawing feel like a difficult task, which would destroy their natural, innocent understanding of art. As they progress into advanced courses, observation becomes the primary focus. The teaching of techniques should be subtly integrated during the learning process, allowing it to accumulate naturally as they experience the early, blurry stages of drawing. The educator’s most important role is to awaken the child's self-awareness. Once self-awareness is developed, children will naturally engage in proactive learning, independent growth, and creative expression.
【二问】儿童美术课程老师会教技法吗？
【二答】幼小龄童处在绘画启蒙阶段。启蒙老师应了解孩子，努力创造与孩子之间情感的舒服状态。绘画启蒙阶段的纯技法灌输对这个年龄段的孩子没有实际意义，反而会让孩子感到画画并不是一件有趣的事，而是很难掌握的，破坏了他们对艺术理解的童真。进入进阶课程的学习，观察力作为这个时期主要的培养目标，技法的教授应在学生学习的过程中潜移默化积累着产生，这是他们对绘画朦胧的初级阶段的体验。教育者最重要的工作是把学习主体的自觉唤醒，自觉意识产生后就会自然的主动学习、独立成长、积极创造。
Bayshore Art Studio Professional Painting Class Assignment for Children Aged 10-12, 2017
Q: Why is it that children can paint well in the art studio, but not in the same way at home?
A: In the art studio, the teacher guides the children through questioning, encouraging them to observe or add details while painting. The children are constantly solving the problems the teacher presents, which enriches their artwork. The environment plays a crucial role in a child's development. The state of a child painting alone at home is different from painting in a group setting. In a group, children unconsciously influence each other, and they naturally compare themselves and make self-judgments. They instinctively want to be the best in the group and receive praise from the teacher and parents, which motivates them to improve. This kind of drive is difficult to achieve when painting alone at home.
【三问】孩子在画室画得好，在家为什么画不成那样呢？
【三答】老师在孩子绘画时用提问去引导孩子进行观察或进行细节补充，在课堂上孩子不停地解决老师提出的问题，所以画面会丰富。另外，环境对一个人的成长起决定性作用，孩子独自在家画画和在一个群体当中画画的状态是不一样的。在群体中每位孩子会在不知觉中相互影响，孩子也会在内心有一种比较和自我判断，他们在天性中都希望在群体中自己是做的最好的，得到老师和家长的表扬，这可以激发他们希望向上的心理，这在家里做不到。
Bayshore Art Studio Professional Painting
Q: Which is more important, creativity or technique?
A: From the perspective of learning to paint, the teaching goals vary depending on the individual's age and learning stage. Technique and modeling skills certainly provide students with the wings to realize their creativity, allowing them to express their ideas better. However, for children in the early stages of learning, introducing rigid techniques too early may hinder their imagination, creativity, and passion for painting. Teaching should be adapted to the individual’s developmental stage and needs. In the learning process, creativity and technique are like the left and right hands—they are equally essential and complement each other.
【四问】创意和技巧哪个重要？
【四答】从绘画学习角度讲，人在其不同年龄和学习阶段的教学目标不同。技法和造型能力能给学生实现其创意的翅膀，让他们可以更好地表达自己的想法，这是肯定的，但如果处在启蒙期的孩子，过早的给他们硬性灌输技巧，会破坏孩子的想象力、创造力和对绘画的热情。因材施教，适时而学。在学习阶段，创意和技巧如人的左手和右手，缺一不可，相辅相成。
Bayshore Art Studio Professional Painting
Q: Every child’s drawing is different. Ask the children, and they will say it’s their own drawing. The teacher doesn’t help the child draw, so what is the teacher’s role?
A: The flowers in the garden are all different colors. The teacher’s role is to observe each student’s characteristics, teach according to their individual needs, and use their own experience to guide the student’s growth in the right direction. The teacher helps develop good drawing habits, guides students to observe and think independently through questions, and ignites the children’s enthusiasm for learning. The teacher should inspire creativity in the child, not replace the student’s growth and thinking.
【五问】每个孩子画得都不一样，问孩子，说是自己画的，老师不帮孩子画，那么老师的作用是什么？
【五答】花园里的花朵是五颜六色的。老师的作用是观察学生的特质，因材施教，以自己的经验把握学生的成长方向不偏移，培养良好的绘画习惯，通过提问引导学生主动观察思考，老师应帮助学生燃烧自己的学习热情，激发孩子的创造力，而不是替代学生成长和思考。
Bayshore Art Studio Professional Painting
Q: How do negative painting phenomena occur?
A: Any painting requirements imposed on children can lead to negative outcomes in their development. Reinforced and rigid education that leaves a mark on children is detrimental to their growth and development.
【六问】怎么才会产生不好的绘画现象？
【六答】任何强加给孩子的绘画要求产生出来的绘画现象对孩子发展是不好的。已经被强化打上印记、生硬的教育对孩子成长发展是不利的。
Bayshore Art Studio Professional Painting Color Assignment 2017
Q: My child is three and a half years old. Can they take one-on-one lessons with you?
A: Qike Song offers one-on-one lessons, but we generally recommend against this for young children unless there is a specific short-term goal (such as applying to schools). One-on-one teaching is not conducive to the growth of young children. Their development requires an environment. Currently, we offer small group classes with a 1:4 teacher-to-student ratio, allowing for more interaction and enabling the teacher to observe each child more thoroughly.
【七问】我孩子三岁半，可以跟您上一对一的课程吗？
【七答】七棵松有一对一的课程，但我们建议除非特殊情况，比如短期目标突击（如：报考学校），通常我们不建议一对一的教学，特别是对幼龄孩子。一对一的教学并不利于幼龄孩子的成长，孩子的成长需要环境。目前七棵松画室设置的是精品小班，1:4师生比，这样孩子有互动环境，老师也可以充分观察到每位孩子。
Bayshore Art Studio Theme Art Camp Homework 2017
Q: I don’t want my child to pursue a professional path, is it okay for them to just learn for fun?
A: Whether a child pursues a professional path in the future is something they will decide for themselves, because they will know what they truly love. What parents need to understand during the developmental stage is that learning art as a child does not necessarily mean they must pursue a professional career in the future. In a joyful learning environment, art education should help children develop imagination, creativity, and various other skills, along with fostering good character. We hope that, during this process, adults will help children build self-confidence, cultivate patience, focus, and develop the habit of persistence.
【八问】我不想让孩子走专业，就是随便学学可以吗？
【八答】孩子未来是否走上专业孩子在未来会自己选择，因为他们知道自己内心最喜欢什么。在培养阶段家长们需要了解的是，儿童时期的绘画学习带给孩子的不一定是未来一定要去走上专业的道路，在快乐的学习状态下，艺术学习带给孩子的应该是想象力、创造力和其他各种能力，以及优良品格的培养。我们希望在培养过程中成人帮助孩子建立自信、培养耐心、专注及做事坚持的习惯。
Bayshore Art Studio Children's Art Class Homework 2017
Q: What is the difference between Creative Art and Advanced Art? Which course is suitable for my child?
A:The Creative Art course at Qikecun is suitable for children aged 4-8. Children in this age range are full of curiosity, and many of their abilities are still being established and developed, making it an ideal stage for early education. The course is designed around themes, with each session focusing on a specific teaching goal. The content of the course includes exposure to various art forms. By exploring different art media and materials, children learn to express themselves through their own artistic language after processing the information with their individual thinking. The course aims to encourage children to express themselves confidently, cultivating their observation skills, imagination, creativity, and divergent thinking. It helps improve their overall abilities and encourages them to discover the beauty in nature, life, and art.
The Advanced Art course at Qikecun is suitable for children aged 6-12. The focus of the advanced course shifts from a broad exploration of various art forms to a more focused study of painting. In this course, developing observation skills becomes the main goal. Students will acquire certain skills in painting and gain basic knowledge of art literacy, which lays a solid foundation for future involvement in the application of painting art across different fields.
【九问】创意美术和进阶美术有什么不同？我的孩子适合哪个课程？
【九答】七棵松的创意美术课程适合4-8龄段的孩子。这个龄段的孩子对事物充满好奇，他们的很多能力正在建立和培养，属于启蒙教育阶段。课程设计以主题的形式进行，每期在教学目标上有一个侧重点。课程内容中涵盖对各种艺术形式的了解，通过对多样性艺术媒介、材料的认知，在经过个人思维转化后，用属于自己的艺术语言表达出来。课程目标是鼓励孩子主动自信的表达，培养他们的观察力、想象力、创造力及发散式思维习惯，促进孩子综合能力的提升，鼓励他们发现自然、生活、艺术之美。
七棵松的进阶美术课程适合6-12龄童。进阶课程艺术教育的培养方向将从宽泛的多艺术形式转向为对绘画艺术的纵向学习，观察力的培养在这个课程中将变成教学的主要目标。在这个课程中学生将掌握一定的绘画造型能力及对绘画艺术素养的基本认知，对未来孩子可能从事绘画艺术在各个领域的广泛应用打下良好的基础。
There is no hierarchical distinction between the Creative Art and Advanced Art courses; the difference lies in the teaching direction and goals, which are based on the child's age, cognitive level, and experience. Each child's situation is unique, so the most suitable course for your child will be recommended after a trial lesson, based on the teacher’s observations.
创意美术和进阶美术两个课程并没有等级之分，只是基于孩子年龄、认知、基础的不同，在教学方向和教学目标上的侧重点不同而已。每个孩子的情况不同，具体孩子适合哪个课程，还需要在试课后，根据老师对孩子的观察予以课程推荐。
