ABSTRACT
Very young children may draw what they know, but it is said that they paint what they feel. Quite whether or not that is true is arguable. Their paintings often tend to look strong in feeling or emotion, perhaps because of the fluid nature of the medium, perhaps because that is how they respond to it. Certainly paint offers them expressive characteristics and qualities which no other medium can quite match. Painting is so fundamental that no art education is complete without some experience of it. Children generally enjoy painting, partly because paint is an unpredictable medium, one full of surprises. Teaching colour theory is not appropriate with young children, especially 5-year-olds who use any colour they please rather than the expected colouring of things. Teaching children to use paint requires effort and sound organizational skills precisely because it is not a straightforward medium to control. But it offers children such a wide range of effects in comparison with drawing.
