Teaching children design as part of extracurricular art education in China

Following the rapid technological progress, economic development and improvement of living conditions in China, attention has been paid not only to the practical suitability of everyday goods, furniture and household appliances, food and cosmetics, but also to the design, ergonomics and uniqueness of each thing. As a result, the upbringing and development of design thinking among the younger generation has become of great importance. Nevertheless, design-oriented educational programs appeared relatively late in the country, and children's education in the field of design has remained a rather rare phenomenon. The article examines the importance of art education for the development of design thinking in children using a number of practical examples. The scientific novelty of the study is a comparative analysis of methods of teaching design to children in the framework of extracurricular art education in China and other countries of the world – the USA and Japan. As a result of the research, a number of problems existing in children's art education are identified, ways of solving them are proposed that may be of practical value for teachers and educators of other countries. The role of the family, the state and society in the formation and development of design thinking in children is revealed. The importance of socio-cultural resources in attracting children to creative activities in the field of design has been established.

extracurricular art education, teaching children, design, design thinking, socio-cultural resources, creative abilities, China, organization of extracurricular education, situational learning, aesthetic abilities