INTERNATIONAL 8th USBİLİM EDUCATION, ECONOMY, MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CONGRESS
INTEGRATING DIGITAL ART WITH TRADITIONAL ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
Yayıncı:
Akademik Paylaşım Platformu Publishing House - APP Publications
The rapid evolution and integration of technological tools into daily life has also impacted early childhood education. Children’s high exposure to technological tools from a young age and their ability to use these tools effectively necessitate the active incorporation of such technologies in art education. Digital art, as a form of contemporary art, supports artistic creation through the possibilities provided by technological tools. Through exposure to these digital art practices, children are not only adapting to technology but also experiencing the new and unfamiliar. These experiences contribute to children’s ability to create innovative and aesthetic designs, fostering the development of a range of their skills. Therefore, digital art applications should be incorporated into both classroom and extracurricular learning environments in early childhood. While supporting children’s artistic abilities, digital art applications also foster their artistic creativity through trial and error. From a young age, children have the opportunity to freely explore elements of art in digital settings with technology-assisted tools. When engaging in digital art on virtual surfaces, children can modify, erase, and redo their drawings or paintings, which helps to reduce the waste that could arise from repeated use of physical art materials. This exploration allows children to enjoy the process of artistic creation, enhancing both their creativity and self-confidence. Although digital art has beneficial effects in education, certain limitations have also been observed. The use of ready-made templates and limited tactile experiences in digital tools may lead children to actively use some senses (such as touch, hearing, and sight) while potentially reducing their engagement with others, like taste, smell, and the sensation of different textures. This limitation may prevent children from deeply exploring the artistic process and could restrict creativity through repeated exposure to similar content. Thus, combining digital art with traditional art practices would be advantageous for children.Traditional art involves direct interaction with materials. It includes works created with classic tools such as painting, sculpture, ceramics, weaving, wood carving, as well as media like oil paints, watercolors, pastels, and pencils. In traditional art, direct interaction with artistic materials is central, allowing children to create using brushes, spatulas, pencils, or their own hands. Traditional art enables children to observe and express themselves, other living beings, nature, people, or emotions, making art an expressive medium. This study aims to provide recommendations for balancing digital and traditional art tools in early childhood, thus creating an educational environment that supports children’s creativity, aesthetic sensitivity, and digital literacy. Such an environment fosters the development of 21st-century skills like creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration.
