Why aesthetics works with children

Aesthetics asks what beauty is, what makes something art and whether one person's taste can be better than another's. Children are ready for these questions because they make judgements about pictures, music and clothes every day.

Pictures and objects make strong stimuli because every child can respond, including those who find reading hard. Ground rules still apply: one voice at a time, reasons with every view, and no mocking anyone's taste.

Stimulus and questions

Stimulus, 'The Accidental Painting': A girl knocks over three pots of paint on a sheet of paper. The colours run together. Her teacher hangs it on the wall. A visitor stops and says it is the most beautiful thing in the school. The girl says, 'But I didn't make it on purpose.'

Pair the story with a simple picture activity: before reading it, drop three colours of watered-down paint onto paper and let them spread. Children look at the result before hearing the story.

• Can something be art if nobody meant to make it?

• Is beauty in the object or in the person looking?

• If everyone thinks something is ugly, is it ugly?

• Is a photograph of a sunset as beautiful as the sunset?

• Can you be wrong about what you like?

Sample session: ages 7 to 11, 50 minutes

Materials: paper, three pots of watered-down paint, pipettes or brushes, aprons, the story, sticky notes. Cover tables and have wipes ready.

• 10 min: paint drop. Small groups make one accidental painting each and lay them out to dry.

• 5 min: gallery walk. Children look silently, then place a sticky note by the one they find most interesting.

• 5 min: read the story.

• 5 min: pairs write questions; vote.

• 20 min: enquiry on the chosen question.

• 5 min: reflection. 'I used to think... Now I think...'

Facilitator moves and adaptation

Ask children to separate liking from judging: 'Is it good, or do you just like it?'. Ask for criteria: 'What would make it better?'. Bring in counter-examples such as music that some people love and others cannot stand.

For younger children, keep the enquiry shorter and use two contrasting images side by side. For older children, add a second object, such as a plain everyday item placed on a plinth, and ask whether putting it in a gallery changes what it is.

Key points

• Start with a hands-on or visual stimulus so every child can respond.

• Help children separate 'I like it' from 'it is good'.

• Protect every child's taste with a clear no-mocking rule.

• Use 'I used to think... Now I think...' to close the session.

Ready-made resources

Printable session plans and materials for this topic are available from EduTrend Contents: P4C-110 Philosophy Starter Kit.

Photos: Jessica Pamp, Eri Pançi / Unsplash