如何完成儿童美育的任务
How to accomplish the task of children's art education.

美育起源于纪元前四世纪的古希腊，相传至今犹未衰落，其重要性可由此想见。美育是能陶冶唯美的感情和艺术的幻想力，是教育中的重要事件；不但能藉此补充学童不完全的生活缺憾，使其精神及身体的成长，更趋于完善，就普通的教育，也必须藉美育的陶冶，才能达完美的地步。

目前本邦美育教育的设施，固然也有美术科，不过多数的学校都偏重于智育，使学校成为枯燥的“知识传习所”。美术科的为人所忽视，是众所共睹的事实，美术课程的编排，其作用只在于填满课程表，并藉此一节给与教师一个喘息的机会，这也许说得太过火了，且让我们看看小学低年级的劳美科的教习吧！

教师在黑板上画了一个示范，教学生一律照抄，能够临摹得“像”，适合先生的标准，便可以得较高的分数。所谓劳作科，亦多是按照范本所规定的去做，不能少（稍）有“逾越”。像这样的“美育”，怎能提高教学质量，怎能达到“美育”的理想呢？

我们知道美育是陶冶美的感情的教育，小学的劳美科教育，其目标也不外是以下三点：
（一） 顺应儿童爱美的本性，以增进美的趣味的涵养。
（二） 引导儿童对于美术原则的学习和应用，提高儿童对事物的观察力和理解力。
（三） 培养儿童能深刻地认识生活环境中的事物，增进儿童的欣赏力和识别的程度，并陶冶美的发表和创造的能力。

要达到这个目的，主要的条件，是需要美术师资，及教育当局真正认识到美育的重要性。否则，教师自己对美术不感兴趣，怎能引起学生研究美术的兴趣呢？自己对美术是外行，根本不会绘画，又怎能教学生画得好呢？再说学校的条件很差，既不能整理美的环境，又不能使儿童常与美的绘画相接触，怎能唤醒儿童在睡眠中的美术思想呢？反顾现在有一部分的青年流于浮浅，嚣张，有的已陷入道德颓废与不安的状态中；一般的学童，大都缺乏温柔敦厚的风习，完全是因为缺乏美的享乐能力，与唯美的感情来调和一切情绪的冲动，以完成真、善、美的生活。所以，现在的新教育是绝不能再忽视美育了。

小学的美术教育，并不是为将来培养艺术专家为目的。所以，不能应用专门艺术的教学法，最主要的是使儿童能充分地表现自我，培养完美的个性，独立的人格。教导以基本的知识和描绘的技能，使儿童能鉴赏艺术，又能享用艺术，已算是达到美育的理想了。

许多有教学职责的教师，对于应如何完成美术科的教学任务，都感到是一个苦恼的问题。要想将儿童的美术科教得好，必须自己先钻研业务，彻底地了解儿童的心理，调查儿童精神的发达状态，考察儿童的描写能力与欣赏能力的程度。然后根据儿童的知识水平和具体的特点进行教学，这样才能使美术教育发挥其效能，使教师收到预期的效果而完成美术科的教学任务。

儿童完全是一个浪漫派的艺术家，他见到一件事，一定先抓住几个重要点，然后加以夸张，强调。这特点，我相信每位有担任过图画科的教师，都可以从儿童的自由画中看出一斑。一切的事物，在儿童的眼中看来，大的会变得更大，小的也变得更小。所以不明白儿童心理的教师，一定以为他描绘的技能太过拙劣，甚至还要大大地责备他一番。其实儿童的绘画心理，及美术的概念与成人的想象，是有着很大的差别的。

回溯十九世纪末叶，许多的心理学家、教育家曾从事调查研究儿童绘画心理学，除了蒐集和分析大量的教材之外，并发现了儿童在自我的艺术境域内，有着非常特出的表现。我们从这学术的贡献中，得到许多有关儿童绘画的知识，藉以逐步提高他们的绘画能力，完成美术教育的使命。

一个儿童在什么时候才开始学画呢？现在我根据儿童绘画心理学的实验，与研究的事实，分成七个阶段来简略说明：
（一） 年龄约在一岁至三岁的时候，当幼儿手里执着一支笔的时候，他必定以游戏的手腕，在墙壁上或纸张上去活动。他将会带着一种惊异和喜悦的心情，去欣赏他那描画的成果。所以幼儿都喜欢以无意义的笔，到处乱涂绘而感到无限的兴趣。他决没有目的要描画什么东西，他只注意到自己所画下的不规则的曲线。在任何场合之下，只要他手里有笔，都一样的专心致力于这种“涂鸦式的错画”，而且
不厌其烦地再三反复。这就是幼儿期的错画时代。这种错画正可代表人类沿着艺术之路而进行的第一个意识。这特点，不论在世界上的任何一个角落，任何阶层的幼儿，都有着共同的表现，正如每个幼儿均须学步一样的自然。

（二） 在四、五岁的时候，已进入了能“节制的年龄”。虽然他的画还是圆环式的波状线的涂鸦表现，不过他已能控制自我的“自然冲动”，开始定目的去描画了。这时期所描画的事物，都是部分形状的表现，减少了乱涂绘的无意义的线，能应用简单的抽象形式，来象征他的涂鸦画：以一个粗略，模拟的圆形象征一个头，两根震颤不定，而且长度不同的直线来代表两条腿，或者以一个不定形的四边形，或歪斜的三角形代表一面旗。他反复多次描画着同样的“图画公式”，从逐次的改善中与进步中，就由早期的涂鸦式的错画，转变为典型的初步儿童绘画了。在这时期，他给每部分的涂鸦画一个意思：在一个圆圈底下加上两条直线，就成为了“爸爸”或“妈妈”，一个不定形的方形，就成为一面国旗或一艘船，这时期完全是单纯绘画的表现，可说是儿童绘画的“命名时期”。

（三） 五、六岁的时候，已经是进入了绘画轮廓的描写时期了。这时期是儿童想象全盛的初期。因此在绘画方面的表现，都是合乎一贯地描绘他们所知道的，而不是他们所见的事物。根据心理学家研究的结果，认为在儿童的绘画里，都反映出一种新奇，坦诚和真挚的内心情感。绘画在他们只是表达情思的一种方式，也就是他们那自由与丰富的幻想表现。这时期他们已能在单纯的绘画里，多添加一些附属物。说起来最感兴趣的，就是描写人像的步骤，几乎全世界的每一个儿童，都有着显著的类似点。（虽然精确的年龄不完全一致。）大多数的儿童一定先画脚而后画手臂，先眼睛而后耳朵，先帽子而后头发，先钮扣而后身躯。因为儿童观察事物，只注意到新奇的一面，所以在绘画上完全选择他所感到兴趣的要点，加以渲染，意造。并毅然地舍弃他所不能表现的部分，所以这时期所表现的东西，是非常主观而想象的。

（四） 在七、八岁的时候，儿童的视觉和想象的水平已渐渐地扩大和提高了。在绘画上的描画能力，也急速地进步了。他已开始从儿童的想象绘画，进入到初期形象时期。这时期的绘画表现，极接近原始人的绘画，带有一种表达言语，情感和思想的任务。一般来说，这时期的儿童，因手指筋肉的控制能力薄弱，在描画时难免有许多的错误，所以在教育上是亟需倚仗教师努力的启发，与耐心地教导！

（五） 年龄在九、十岁时的儿童，已能直接地观察物象，形态，而且能尽量地表现他所见到的事物。不过还是只能做平面的描写。因为不明白透视的方法，所以不能有远近与层次的表现。这已是进入“自觉的描绘时期”了。

（六） 当十一、十二岁时的儿童，其精神与观察力都有显著的发达，对事物的形态、明暗，阴影及色彩的表现，都已臻至自觉的境地。已进入的真写生的时期，所以形式美的指导，就可于此时开始。

（七） 在十五、六岁时，他们的智力更发达，观察力也更正确了。这时期的绘画，已经达到了发挥艺术的意义时期，对于美的评价力也有显著的进步，已可进到艺术创作的境地了。

以上所述的是儿童绘画的基本发展阶段，这种发展是有着惊人的共同点的，几乎全世界的各国家、各民族、各社会阶层的相等年龄，同等的智力的儿童，他们所表现的东西，进步的程序是大致相同的，其错误与特点也几乎是共同的。又根据儿童心理学家的实验与研究的结果，我们可以知道儿童对于色彩的运用，也是有偏爱的。大体上来说，一般的儿童都一贯地喜爱选用暖色如：红色、黄色和橙色。。冷色如蓝，绿色都比较少使用，当然这种偏爱暖色的心理倾向，是显示儿童崇尚自由的内心情绪，以及真挚温亲之感情，尤其是红黄两色，更是一般幼童所偏爱。跟着年龄渐大，颜色的偏爱也因联想作用的参入，而渐有改变。关于儿童对于色彩的选择和偏爱，一位比利时的心理学家，曾做过无数次的实验，结果证明了四岁至六岁的儿童最喜爱红色，九岁以上的儿童最爱绿色，又根据这实验结论，更证明了当二岁至四岁的儿童，如果显著地喜爱使用冷的色调，将是一种不自然的心理病，也许他是受到过分严厉的管理，使得他没有自由活动的机会，因而限制了他那内心的激情流露，与真挚坦诚的情感表现……

小学的美术教育，不是要训练儿童能成为将来的美术家，所以不能从单纯的技术观点来教导儿童，也不能极端地去强迫儿童创作，更不能以教师的理想，对儿童的要求过高，限制了他个性的发展，更不要任意批评儿童绘画技能的拙劣，使儿童对绘画失去信心，扼杀了儿童的绘画才能，所以教师应该用教育的手段，藉有兴味的美术讲话，
引起儿童对美术的兴趣，再考察儿童的能力与程度，选择合宜的教材，由暗示的教导方法，使儿童能主观地凭靠自己的智能去分析事物，观察事物。这样才能充分地发展其个性，才能引导他们进入相当的领域，完成美术科的教学任务，达到美育的理想！

The origin of art education dates back to ancient Greece in the 4th century BC, and its importance has not diminished to this day. Art education cultivates aesthetic feelings and imagination, making it an important event in education. Not only does it supplement children's incomplete life experiences, but it also contributes to the holistic development of their minds and bodies. Even in general education, the cultivation of art is necessary to achieve perfection.

Currently, the art education facilities in our country mainly consist of art classes, but most schools focus heavily on intellectual education, turning schools into dull "knowledge dissemination centers." The importance of art education is often overlooked, and art curriculum is often seen as a mere formality to fill the schedule and provide teachers with a break. Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but let's take a look at the teaching of art and labor in the lower grades of primary school.

Teachers demonstrate a model on the blackboard, and students are expected to copy it exactly to receive high scores. The art and labor curriculum often involves following predefined templates without deviating. How can such "art education" improve teaching quality or achieve the ideal of art education?

Art education aims to cultivate aesthetic feelings, guiding children to appreciate the principles of art, enhance their observational and interpretative skills, and deepen their understanding of the world. However, to achieve these goals,
1. we need qualified art teachers and education authorities who truly understand the importance of art education. Otherwise, if teachers lack interest in art, how can they stimulate students' interest in studying art?
2. If teachers themselves are not proficient in art and cannot draw, how can they teach students to draw well?
3. Additionally, if school conditions are poor and do not provide a conducive environment for art, how can they awaken children's artistic thoughts?

Looking at the present, some young people are superficial and arrogant, while others have fallen into moral decay and unrest. Most students lack gentle and sincere manners, mainly because they lack the ability to enjoy beauty, harmonize emotions with aesthetic feelings, and achieve a life of truth, goodness, and beauty. Therefore, modern education cannot afford to neglect art education.

Art education in primary schools is not aimed at training future art experts. Therefore, specialized teaching methods for art cannot be applied. The main goal is to allow children to fully express themselves, cultivate perfect personalities, and develop independent characters. By teaching basic knowledge and drawing skills, children can appreciate and enjoy art, which is already ideal for achieving art education.

Many teachers responsible for teaching often find it challenging to fulfill the tasks of art education. To teach art to children effectively, teachers must first study their craft, thoroughly understand children's psychology, assess the development of their minds, and evaluate their descriptive and appreciative abilities. Only then can they tailor their teaching to the children's knowledge level and specific characteristics, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of art education and achieving the desired results in completing the teaching tasks of the art curriculum.

Children are inherently romantic artists. When they see something, they always grasp a few key points first, then exaggerate and emphasize them. This characteristic can be observed in the free drawings of children, as any teacher who has ever taught art to children can attest. In the eyes of children, everything appears larger or smaller than it actually is. Therefore, teachers who do not understand the psychology of children may mistakenly believe that their drawing skills are too poor and may even criticize them severely. However, the psychology of children's drawing and the concept of art are quite different from those of adults.

Looking back to the late 19th century, many psychologists and educators conducted research on the psychology of children's drawing. They collected and analyzed a large amount of material and discovered remarkable expressions of children in their artistic domain. From this academic contribution, we have gained much knowledge about children's drawing, which helps to gradually improve their drawing abilities and fulfill the mission of art education.

At what age do children start learning to draw? Based on experiments and research in the psychology of children's drawing, I will briefly outline seven stages:

1. Around the age of one to three, children enter the "scribbling period." They move a pen around on walls or paper in a playful manner, experiencing a sense of wonder and joy as they appreciate their scribbles. They are fascinated by meaningless scribbles and doodles, repeatedly drawing irregular lines with no specific purpose.

2. At four or five years old, they enter the "controlled age." Although their drawings still consist of scribbles, they can now control their natural impulses and begin drawing with a purpose. They draw partial shapes and symbols, repeatedly improving upon the same "drawing formula," transitioning from early scribbling to typical early childhood drawing.

3. At the age of five or six, they enter the "depiction of contours period." This is a period of heightened imagination. Children express their known rather than observed objects through drawing, reflecting a sense of novelty, sincerity, and honesty. They begin to add accessories to their drawings, particularly interested in depicting human figures.

4. At seven or eight years old, their visual and imaginative abilities continue to expand. They transition from imaginative drawing to the early representational period. Although their drawings may resemble primitive art, they convey language, emotion, and thought.

5. At nine or ten years old, children can directly observe objects and attempt to depict them. However, their drawings remain two-dimensional due to a lack of understanding of perspective.

6. At eleven or twelve years old, their mental and observational abilities are significantly developed. They enter the period of conscious depiction, where they can depict form, light, shadow, and color.

7. At fifteen or sixteen years old, their intelligence and observational skills are further refined. They reach a stage where they can engage in artistic creation and demonstrate a significant improvement in their ability to evaluate beauty.

The above describes the basic stages of children's drawing development, which have remarkable commonalities. Almost all children of equal age, intelligence, and socio-economic background around the world show a similar progression in their artistic development. Furthermore, according to the results of experiments and research in child psychology, we know that children also have preferences for certain colors. In general, children tend to prefer warm colors such as red, yellow, and orange, while cool colors like blue and green are less frequently used. This preference for warm colors reflects children's inner emotions of freedom and sincere affection, especially for the colors red and yellow.

As children grow older, their color preferences may change due to associative factors. A Belgian psychologist conducted numerous experiments and found that children aged four to six tend to prefer red, while those aged nine and above tend to favor green. It has also been suggested that children aged two to four who significantly prefer cool colors may be experiencing an unnatural psychological condition, possibly due to excessively strict upbringing, which limits their opportunities for free expression and stifles their genuine emotions.

Primary school art education aims not to train children to become future artists. Therefore, it should not focus solely on technical aspects or force children to create art. Teachers should not impose their ideals on children or set excessively high expectations, which can restrict their personal development. Criticizing children's poor drawing skills indiscriminately can lead to a loss of confidence in drawing and stifle their artistic potential. Instead, teachers should use educational methods to stimulate children's interest in art, assess their abilities and level, select appropriate teaching materials, and guide them subtly so that children can analyze and observe objects subjectively based on their intelligence. Only then can their personalities be fully developed, guiding them into a suitable field and achieving the ideal of art education.