Drawing in kindergarten: a historical overview up to the first half of the 20th century

Abstract

Changes in pedagogical approaches, in the image and perception of the child, have all played a decisive role in the development of the role of drawing in the history of education. The historical treatment of art and drawing education in early childhood education is less well-explored, and our study therefore attempts to provide a comprehensive picture of the artistic-pedagogical aspirations and reformist pedagogical innovations in early childhood at the turn of the century, after examining the wider historical, cultural and social context. Drawing on the relevant literature of the last century (monographs, articles, the press of the periodicals Rajztanítás/Drawing Education and Kisdednevelés/Early Childhood Education), the paper shows the role of drawing in early childhood education, from the initial mechanical, useful manual skills exercises, through the discovery of playful visualisation and knowledge acquisition, to the emergence of art education. We review the main stages of early childhood art education from the 17th-century pedagogical model to the national and international pedagogical reform efforts that developed in the early 20th century, showing the issues of the periodical Kisdednevelés/Early Childhood Education concerning the principles and techniques of teaching drawing.