Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1919-07-12
KINDERGARTEN HELPS
FOR PARENTS
YOUR CHILD'S FIRST
INTEREST In PICTURES
(By DR.. William Byron FOrbush)

''EIe hasn't got him yeti" was the
little boys delighted report each day
after looking in his nursery book and
discovering that the crocodile in the
picture had not yet caught up with the
piccaninny whom he was chasing.
why don't they get TO church,"
was another youngsters inquiry after
he had turned for several weeks to-
Broughton's pilgrims Going to
Church" and wondered why they did
not arrive.
A third child put his hand protect
ingly over the pictured figure of kid,
to shield it from an eagle; and another
child of Kindergarten age has been
known to try to feed pictured ami
NAL.
These incidents suggest the rather
surprising fact that to small child
pictures are not merely symbols, but
a part of his living world. At first he
notes the similarity between the house
hold pet and the pictured cast more
than he does the difference. and it is
a long time before he grasps the idea
that the latter is only symbol.
1t is perhaps a little disheartening
to us adults, to whom pictures have
opened a world of beauty, to realize
that it is their usefulness and not their
beauty which appeals to children up to
6 or 7 years of age. To them pic
lures are simply something to play
with. They prefer to have them little
because they can handle them more
easily. For any practical end they do
as dolls.
Ninety-nine per cent of the first
drawings of children are said to in-
clude the human face. Their affec-
tons for ready made pictures are sim
liar; they are living creatures, people
and animals and birds, and they like
them best in action. They like only
story pictures.
1t is somewhat surprising to inves-
tigators to discover that, in their earli-
est interest in pictures, children do not
seem to have any marked preference
for the colored ones, though later they
exhibit an interest in bright crude
colors.
In general, they are not curious as
to details. They will not notice that a
figure is armless, and as we know SC
we'll, their own first drawings often
have two eyes or ears on the same side
of the face. Yet they do seem to
single out the eye as an object of pc.
culiar interest. Did you ever have
your two-year-oId try to stick his fore
!. finger in your eye2 Little children
often attempt the same with picturee
eye.
The educational lessons which w
, learn from these primitive tastes arr
plain, and since, to the small child, 1
! picture is the real thing, we shoulC
select his pictures as We do his othe
toys. to help him in his little world o
experience. They should represent tn
/ kind Of people and pets whom h
|, should love, engaged in activihe
] which he can understand. Simple in
, cidents. playful. jolly and unselfish
: should be our choice, without reference
TO their esthetic purpose.
/ While we need not strive to selec
: great art, we may chose clear, stroni
v color and simple, well-drawn action
1 Thus we can lay foundations for ap
1 probation of the beautiful
! Above all, each picture should sue
sest good story. and we should Civ
I the story with the picture.
e Help to reach all the parents of tn
d country BY cutting this out and passin
l. Il on to friend.
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