The Aesthetic Domain
“aisthetickos” – the ability to
perceive through the senses.
AESTHETIC DEVELOPMENT
 RESPONSIVE
EXPERIENCES
– appreciation of natural beauty
 Exposure Activities –appreciation of arts
 Discovery Activities

Evaluation Activities –forming judgments and preferences
 PRODUCTIVE
EXPERIENCES
 Creative Activities
–creative expression
Stages of Creative Representation
2-4 Scribble – disordered, controlled, and
naming scribbles
 Age
 Age
4-7 Representational Preschematic – symbols
7-9 Schematic – highly individualized visual
symbols
 Age
Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Model
aesthetic awareness and enthusiasm.
 Prepare an aesthetics-friendly classroom
environment.
 Organize an art center or “creation station” with
appropriate materials.
 Select appropriate music supporting materials.
 Provide a variety of creative movement props.
Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Provide
props for dramatics.
 Value all aspects of the creative expression
process.
 Teach children to respect and care for materials.
 Motivate creativity through a variety of strategies.
 Explore the materials before asking children to use
them.
Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Avoid
making a product when demonstrating a
technique.
 Involve children in music experiences daily.
 Provide a large uncluttered space for creative
movement.
 Begin each movement experience with a similar
routine warm-up and end with a similar cool down.
Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Accept
children’s own ideas for creative
movement.
 Utilize the principle of developmental direction in
aesthetic teaching.
 Discover and use picture book illustrations as
works of art.
 Use questions to describe, analyze, evaluate art.
Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Avoid
reinforcing only a realistic approach.
 Involve ALL of the children in the arts.
Variety of Strategies to Promote
Creativity
Direct hands-on time with
materials
 Examples shown of
quality art and beautiful
craftsmanship
 Demonstrate new
techniques.
 Use of motivational
dialogue.

Role-play idea.
 Show and discuss pictures
of real objects.
 Encourage imagining.
 Use nonverbal
reinforcement.
 Connect creative
experiences to a concept

Ideas for Unit
Songs to teach literacy
 Poems, puppets, and
fingerplays
 Use of musical
instruments
 Field trips to museums
 Arts & Crafts
 Listen to taped stories

Center-based activities
 Easel/paintings
 Guest speakers (artists in
our town)
 Creating songs about topic
 Book-making experiences
 Murals
 Bulletin Boards
