Drawings of children (2)

The ability to think, imagine, or create however, may depend on each child's experience and the amount and content of the information he/she has gained until then. If they meet a lot of picture books from early ages, have the opportunity to visit various places, or to be taught a lot of new things, it may become easier for them to come up with numbers of ideas. It is inevitable that the range of imagination will be narrowed for children who did not have such an opportunity.

The children who participated in the art program listened to our explanation and thought hard about what kind of picture to draw. But still it seemed very difficult for most of them to how to start. I asked, "What do you think it means to have a good relationship?", but no answer was given. When the teacher asked, "How about shaking hands?" for reference, the children in the class cheerfully responded, "Ah! I see!" When another child answered, "A heart between people," the children were uniformly agreed, "Ah, that's good!"

For these children, I felt that the creation had just begun in their hearts that had been blank. They were experiencing to develop ideas, the experience which is rare for many of them.