Learning how to be creative is a skill that benefits us throughout our entire life. Children have the gift of imagination and creativity that they can develop further. There are so many different ways to foster a child’s creativity. They can learn to be creative with our help.
Almost every parent at parent teacher meetings are asking me the same question. Should I sign up my child for an art course? My answer is yes and no. If the child actually wants to go then if you have the means, definitely! Art classes are great ways to expose your child to more techniques and materials than what you would do at home. Also, you don’t have to worry about the mess. Your child might enjoy socialising during the lessons. On the other hand, if you want them to attend an art class only to improve skills, my answer is no! There are a lot of things that you can do at home without paying a fortune for after school clubs. Read below for some ideas.
I often hear from parents that they are not good at art. Well, not everyone has to be a Picasso… But here are a few things that you should bear in mind before you say such a thing in front of your little one!
When it comes to art there is only one rule, do it! If you want your little one to enjoy art and improve, get involved! Children love to share both their experience and the results. Do art together and talk about it!
Children pick up on our mood / attitude without words and they tend to mimic it. If they see you not enjoying doing art with them, soon, they won’t either. Don’t say in front of them that you can’t do it! After all, you are their idol, mum or dad, who can do anything and everything. Have some confidence! If you keep saying that you can’t do it, you are teaching them that giving up is OK. Even worse! Not even trying is OK, as you already decided that you can’t do it. Lead by example!
Your drawing skills are not important to them! They are not going to judge you. The actual experience and enjoying working together is the key. This is the activity where only participation counts. If you think you really can’t draw, just fake it till you make it. Realistic pictures are overrated anyway. Draw something abstract, use bright colours and pretend that your work is the most amazing art that has ever been created and your little one will follow. It doesn’t matter what you do till you do it together.
Make art fun!
There are a lot of ways to have fun while creating art. You can’t draw? No problem! Have you tried clay, paint, origami? The list of different techniques and art supplies are endless. Try new materials. Introduce them to your child and let them experiment with it on his / her own ways. Giving them a supervised environment where they can experiment teaches them that making mistakes is fine. We can always try new ideas, fail, then try them again in a different way. It gives them courage! Later in their lives, they won’t be afraid to take risks and fail sometimes. The difference that you are making now is that they will have the ability to pick themselves up and start all over again.
Give them their own art corner where they have 24/7 access to art supplies. When the creative urge strikes, they can just go there and start without having the need to ask.
I loved art and crafts from a very young age and my parents have supported me throughout every stage of my development. I always had at materials at my disposal. They bought me craft books for Christmases and birthdays to prompt my creativity, and when the time came to choose what I wanted to study (I was 14 and about to decide which high school am I going to apply) they sent me to private art lessons. Whenever I needed help, they were there for me. Whenever I came home proudly showing them my new ‘art’ they listened to my storied and looked at my work. I never felt that what I did was not good enough for them! By the age of 10 I could probably draw better than both of my parents, but this never stopped them to join in any of the art creations whenever they had time. Their help and guidance helped me to reach my potentials while growing up and continues to help even as an adult.
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