| PHASE | AGE | MAJOR FEATURE | CHALLENGE FOR EDUCATION IN THE ART |
| Child as Drect Communicator | 0-18-24 month | Fundamental forms of direct communication; acquisition of a trusting relation with other Awareness of a stable object world to communicate about | Transition from direct bodily expression to more “distant” and rigorous symbolic expressions (i.e., from crying to asking, from grabbing to pointing)-with the convidence that tht audience of “other” will watch, listen, and respond |
| Child as Symbol User | 18-24 months-5-7 years | Understanding the fundamentals of symbol use: creating an “reading” | Transition from aspontaneous and idiosyncratic to socioculturally dictated forms of representation (i.e., from subjective portrayals to realism) Still preserving spontaneity originality, individuality |
| Youth as Craftsman Youth as Critic and Full Participant in the Artistic Process | 5-7-11-13 years 11-13 years on | Socialization of self-expression; emergence of conscience Urge for competence; impluence of peers Emergence of basic categoris of adult thought; decline in egocentrism The internalization of thougt Reflectivity Capacity to think hypotetically and to confron choices | Transition from strict competence to a recombination of craft with self expression; the acquisition of critical tools as well as articulated personal tastes and standards without paralyzing feelings of inadequacy |
Berdasarkan pandangan pada tabel di atas, anak usia sekolah dasar (7-13 tahun) memiliki kompetensi untuk memadukan karya kerajinan (craft) dengan kemampuan ekpresi diri. Selain itu pula kemampuan kritik juga dimiliki sejalan dengan perkembangan intelektualnya. Secara khusus, karakteristik anak pada usia 11- 13 tahun ini adalah memiliki kemampuan berpikir kritis dan ikut terlibat dalam proses artistik.
Secara umum dapat dikatakan bahwa karya seni rupa anak bersifat ekspresif dan dinamis (Camaril, dkk. 1999). Apa yang digambarkan anak mencerminkan pribadinya, mengungkapkan apa yang diketahuinya dan tidak menggambar sesuai dengan kenyataan. Kesukaan akan gerak digambarkan dengan warna tajam mencolok serta objek-objek penuh gerak seperti binatang, orang, kendaraan. Tetapi, jika dikaji ternyata bahwa secara umum terjadi pentahapan dalam perkembangan dunia kesenirupaan anak.
