'But I'm not artistic': how teachers shape kids' creative development

Many adults believe they are not artistic and feel nervous about visual art. They vividly recall the moment when a teacher or family member discouraged their efforts to creatively express their ideas through drawing or art-making. Such early childhood experiences can affect developing confidence and learning potential throughout a child's education and into adulthood. If preschool educators lack the visual art knowledge and confidence to provide valuable art experiences, children's potential to creatively express their ideas using visual symbols may be restricted. Creative thinking and the ability to make meaning in many ways is the key to success in the 21st century. And in a world that values creative thinking it is concerning that children's creative growth may be stifled even before they go to school.