Encourage your little ones to have fun and express their uniqueness through artful experimentation.
ART RULES!
- Well, actually, there should be no rules when it comes to your child’s art. Were you taught as a child that art had to look a certain way? Get that notion out of your head – and don’t put it into the heads of your own children. If the artist (and his audience) like the art, then, indeed, it’s good art.
- … But that doesn’t mean there aren’t techniques. There’s a difference between creating art without “rules” (i.e.: having to color inside the lines) vs. learning techniques that make art more fun and expressive (such as the proper way to hold a paint brush, or what happens when you sprinkle salt over a wet watercolor painting to see the effect it has on the paint). Art is about solutions – and opening up to different ways to interpret what’s before us. Art teaches your child to grow on many levels.
- Art can help your shy child overcome feeling timid. Most beginning young artists limit drawings to small areas on big pieces of paper. Encourage your child to use the whole paper. It will empower her. Also encourage her to use art materials in different ways than she has been taught. What happens if you melt crayons together (with a parent’s help) and then put the melted concoction between two pieces of waxed paper? While your child may not grow up to be the next Picasso, he may use these lessons to help him become more confident.
- Art should be a part of your child’s education: One reason is that art employs fine motor skills which help your young child’s brain grow neurons and synapses, the pathways to learning. Another reason is that art will teach your child an appreciation for the beauty around him. Scrutinizing one’s own surroundings to find the beauty in them will open your child’s eyes to new things.
- Don’t critique your child’s attempts at art. Instead, when he proudly shows you his not-too-perfect effort by offering, ask him to tell you about his picture. Encourage your child to keep at art, just as you would his efforts to learn to read.
TIP FROM THE PARENTING TRENCHES
- Your children are never too young for a trip to an art gallery or museum. Get close-up to a painting to talk about the blending of colors or kind of brush strokes used. Point out a technique one sculptor uses vs. another. Are there any books about the artists aimed at children? Remember that most young children’s attention span is limited, so keep your little artist’s visit fresh by taking breaks complete with snacks.
