Making Connections in Art: Art and Literacy

Peace Everyone

Happy Spring... It seems it has finally arrived in New England.

Previously the crazy snow had me traveling with "art on a cart". My little friends couldn't make the trek to the art studio. I provide Art and Literacy to 3 separate early childhood facilities at a large campus community center.

Let's get started and talk about books! More importantly literacy...

I just love literacy connections, I feel it is the foundation to helping young children develop a love of specific content as well as life long learning.


What better way to introduce themes, new ideas, objects and cultural connections than through the art of pictures, storytelling, songs , rhymes and vocabulary words.

 In our Preschool Classes we have been busy

Over the next 4 weeks we have been learning  new "artistic" vocabulary words and meeting Famous Artist such as Picasso, Matisse and Mondrian.

Week One

We explored "line drawing" by observing still life utilizing faux fruit and colored pencils to create our own individual drawings.

First we discussed several words with similar meeting to come up with our own interpretation.

Line Drawing- when we use a line to make a picture.

Outline Drawing- we go around a picture with a line.




Week Two

Meeting Picasso

First we discussed...

Who was he? A famous artist that painted funny pictures.
What did he do? Use paint and other art materials to make pictures.
What's an Artist? Someone who can sing, dance, act, draw, paint, or write stories.

These are my students loose definitions.

Then we viewed some still life works by Picasso that contained fruit just like the students drew, but now they got the opportunity to paint instead.

We explored the vocabulary words like "background".

Background- Is when you color or paint all around something.

We revisited the word "outline".

The preschoolers focus was impressive and showed a strong attention to detail.

To view the next few weeks work please be sure to check back in with me soon. As I will be updating  Weeks 3 and 4 for you to view.


Let's look at "Literacy" a little closer. It is the ability to read, write, communicate and comprehend.

Now that sounds about right. Most young children that are developing typically are comprehending simple phrases, directions as well as communicating their needs or making connections through words, hand gestures and sounds.

So where does the reading and writing come into place for children ranging from infancy to 5 years of age? It comes through the love and appreciation of books. Exposure to stories, pictures and songs which are all forms of communication and literacy spark young children's interest.


One way to encourage literacy awareness is by providing opportunities for children to use words to convey meaning through conversation, prewriting with writing tools such as markers, crayon, pencils and paintbrushes for preschools.

Encouraging children to tell stories through words or pictures.

Younger children such as infants and toddlers are further supported in developing literacy awareness through child and teacher interactions. Educator encourages phonological awareness through sounds, conveying text and words have meaning and creating opportunities for social interaction.

I strive to do this through all of my interaction working with all ages ranges from 6 months old to 5.5 year olds.

New vocabulary word, pictures and conversations are all ways to attract young children interest in early reading.


Infants and Toddlers are currently exploring color in the Art Studio related to Spring we make connections between healthy foods, gardening and nature these are all done through the literacy connection "Growing Colors" by Bruce McMillian




Children explore fruits and vegetables that are familiar to them and some that are new. They then get to choose from a variety of colorful vegetables made of paper to create their own vegetable friend.

This book is an excellent resource tool to base to develop thematic curriculum with a focus on STEAM- S.cience T.echonology E.ngineering A.rt and M.ath. Educators can explore science, art and math utilizing this one source. Counting for different fruits and vegetables, exploring parts of fruit and vegetable such as seeds, flower, stems, leaves via science and using art to recreate fruit and or vegetables.

This book is full of common words to describe color but also has bright colorful pictures of unique fruits and vegetables that children may not be familiar too in everyday interactions.


1. Choose a vegetable.

Older Toddler

 Younger Toddler shown applying glue.

2. Collage with mixed textured paper.

Supports fine motor development for prewriting.

Older Toddler using pincher grasp to pick up textured paper.

Younger Toddler utilizing pincher grasp to pick up textured paper.

3. Add eyes. 

Makes our vegetable friends come alive!

This art connection supports children in developing stronger fine motor skills by holding objects to apply glue. The use of the pincher grasp to pick up textured paper to apply to the surface of the paper vegetable shape. Further develop more detailed fine motor skills by working with sticker eyes in which infants/toddlers peel sticker eyes to make their vegetable come alive!

Children from 6 months to 3 years of age can participate in this STEAM focused art connection.

Infants and Toddlers under 12 months old participate in an adaptive version of this activity by utilizing safe non toxic white foam paint mixed with washable safe non toxic powdered tempera paint to create a fun sensory based finger painting experience on the surface of their vegetable shape.

As always bringing Art from the HeArt to yours....

I hope you enjoyed this small glimpse into all that is Art and more.

Until next time live and let Art!

Zahirah Nur Truth

Affectionately known as Da Artist ZNT