The Great Debate: Process vs. Product - Which is More Important?

So, I've been on quite the journey when it comes to my views on process vs. product art in early childhood settings.

If you know me or have been reading some of my stuff you will see that I’m super reflective, sometimes too reflective for my liking. Unfortunately, when you are like me you might find that people will say “But I thought you thought this”? I don’t discourage this as I believe any “good” educator continues to reflect and evolve.

Back to my journey on process versus product art.

At first, I was all in on those ten identical penguins with perfectly placed pom-poms and googly eyes —if you know, you know, the kind where every child’s picture looked like they were made by the same (very adult-like) hands. There was a heavy teacher presence in those moments, guiding each little hand to ensure everything landed just so. I loved it!

Back then, I thought these picture-perfect projects epitomised great art activities! Oh, wouldn’t the parents be pleased! Lol

Pinesterst-worthy projects are a tempting trap because well let's face it 10 Green Turtles or cute stencil Easter crafts are too cute, right?

Product art is usually teacher led, comes with a set of instructions, prescriptive, and quite often looks similar to others.

Process art is usually child-led, creative, blank canvas and often unrecognisable.

An analogy if you will, process art is like cooking for the fun of it as you experiment with flavours and ingredients. The joy comes from exploring and discovery. While product art is more like following a recipe to bake a cake, the steps help you achieve a prescribed result. One focuses on creativity and exploration, the other on achieving the goal.

But as time went on, I swung heavily to the other side of the debate. I started to see how limiting those identical pieces were. The more I deep-dived into the world of early childhood education, the more I could see and celebrate the beauty of process art — where the focus is all about the exploration, the mess, and the creative journey, rather than the final product.

My pendulum swung hard toward this perspective, especially when I read how clear it seemed in the National Quality Framework (NQF). I remember reading a line from Quality Area 1 that stuck with me: “Assessors May sight -use of open-ended environments, resources and materials that allow children to express themselves (rather than using templates, stencils or resources that limit children’s capacity to create, interpret, experiment and explore)”.

I felt validated! I thought, “Yes! Process art all the way!”

That's when I stumbled upon the concept of art provocations, and suddenly, the grey areas started to emerge. I felt like I’d found a sweet spot — a middle ground. Provocations were this glorious concept that allowed for intentional teaching, motivation for children, a guide and....... a potential outcome.

For those who might not be familiar, an art provocation is an invitation to create that inspires children without dictating the outcome. You might set up an area with an array of materials, such as paint, buttons, feathers, and clay, and offer a suggestion — maybe a theme, a question like “Can you draw a” or an idea — but not a fixed end goal. In this approach, a child might start with an invitation to make monkeys but end up with a herd of unicorns, and that’s perfectly okay! An example that has stuck with me is Christmas crafts. Instead of 30 craft Christmas trees that all looked the same the educators provide a treasure basket of Christmas-inspired props and photos with an assortment of art and craft supplies and well ah! You might find a nice balance of unique Christmas trees, baubles, reindeer, zoo animals or buildings! That’s the fun of it.(see image below)

I believed I had found where I belonged in the process vs. product debate — comfortably sitting in the middle with art provocations allowing me the room to be intentional. Then, just when I thought I’d settled on my opinion (I’m good at those), I came across a different perspective that made me pause. I wish I knew where I read it, but the educator suggested that some children might not engage in art without a clear process that lead to a product. This made me reflect deeply. It made me question if perhaps there was room for a bit more flexibility in my approach.

I began to see that for some children, the idea of creating something tangible and recognisable provides a sense of achievement and motivation. Maybe there is a place for simple steps that lead to an end goal, as long as it doesn’t discourage the child from taking their creative path if they wish.

I’ll always advocate for children to take their art wherever their imagination leads them. But now, I see that it’s not about choosing sides but about meeting children where they are, today.

Critical Reflective questions you may like to ask yourself;

• Stencils- do they add value, could they hinder creativity and make children feel their drawings aren't "perfect" or could a Spiderman colouring sheet be the perfect support tool for a child experiencing separation distress?

• Gifts- what would the families like, have we asked them, does a project that a child spends limited time on, offer any true meaning? Could we combine a process and a product?

• Do we offer a plethora of unstructured, open-ended crafts so that children can truly explore and be creative without pressure?

• Have we considered all children and what they need? Are there any children that would benefit from following steps to achieve a set outcome?

• Have we considered the ratio of process to product art in our room?

• Are we "correcting" any children's artwork or being "directive"?

• Are we including opportunities within our programs for collaborative art projects like centre murals or community projects?

• How often are we introducing a variety of art mediums or art techniques?

• When exploring a calendar of events art projects, have we explored these through a process art lens?

• How often do we use handprints within our art activities and what learning is occurring?

• What are the developmental benefits of process art?

Critical reflection means considering what matters most to you. It will help you and your team find the right approach in your pedagogy.

And finally, here I am, still navigating my way through the shades of grey in the process vs. product art conversation.

Whilst I still belong primarily on the "process art team", I would ask the why behind product art before sharing my views.

What about you? Where do you find yourself on this journey? I’d love to hear your thoughts! I have no doubt I may develop another opinion in the next 5-10 years! 😀

Jem x