Last year I introduced sketch books into my first class. I was so surprised at the knock on effects of this- I cannot recommend it enough!
I bought cheap plain copies- the ones used for pre-writing in Junior Infants.
They were great for beginning lessons with the children's own ideas and giving them ownership of the art.
They also introduced children to the idea of progressing an idea- by brainstorming and practising drawings before creating the finished 'piece'.
Some children find art really daunting- and while it is recommended that children's art is displayed in the class, sometimes it nice to take that product pressure off the child and let them experiment with the process.
You will need to place an emphasis that the copy is not a free writing/free work. They were kept on the shelf beside the English/Maths/SESE copies.
We began by brainstorming on the board and in the copies- i.e "House"
Then the children sketched pictures based on the ideas in their brainstorm.
The sketch books were left in front of them during the art lesson where they made their final piece and they were encouraged to look at their ideas and draw from that.
By the end of the year, children were asking to get their sketch book to help them sieve out ideas before attempting pictures in other subjects- like SESE; drawing many different types of boats that they thought Tom Crean might have had before picking one for their piece.
It brought a reassuring sense to creating art for children who tended to want perfection.
