These days it seems like some children are born with a paintbrush in their hand. However, other kids aren’t quite as enthusiastic about embracing their artistic side. They may be perfectionists or approach art too mathematically to be successful at it. Regardless of their natural interest, having an outlet in art can be healthy for all children. Included here are a few ways to get your kids involved with art.
Take them To a Gallery or Museum
Seeing professional art up-close and personal can inspire the creativity in almost anyone. Children, especially, can be excited about the prospect of seeing their own creations displayed in a frame at home. Allowing them to witness other people’s expressions and ideas can allow them to feel more secure about their own.
Continue Learning and Brain Cell Growth
Recently, Park West Gallery emphasized that artistic expressions such as painting, drawing or sculpting could delay dementia. While the benefits are numerous as you age, having the mental stimulation of art throughout your life from a young age could prove highly beneficial. Some studies show that picking up art later in life can actually help you develop new brain cells, imagine the benefits if you begin as a child!
Encourage Everyday Expression
By involving children in art on a daily basis from a young age, you can help support their creative processes which will encourage lifelong success. Ask your children to do a still-life of their breakfast, or attempt to capture a drawing or impression of their favorite pet. Give children opportunities to do an artistic representation of their day in the evening instead of a journal entry. This will help encourage them to process daily events, express themselves and do some thinking before slowing down for bed.
Designate a Home Studio
Not many families have the ability to turn an entire room of their house into an art studio. However, by creating a space that is art friendly and having supplies readily available, your children will be more likely to express themselves throughout the day. This can be as simple as an easel in the corner of the room with drawing pad and supplies or a chalkboard on the fence in the backyard. For more elaborate setups, you can have a sink at kid level with paints and brushes, as well as smocks they can don when they want to paint. If you are also an art enthusiast, you could do something bigger and set up a backyard studio shed with help from companies like Modern Shed. Dedicate the space exclusively for artistic expression, and watch the creativity bloom.
Let Kids Draw Outside the Lines
One of the hardest parts about being a parent is allowing your children to do things for themselves. Those moments, however, prove to be some of the greatest learning experiences for your kids. So give them room to breathe, let them color outside the lines, do chalk drawings all over the patio and paint on both sides of the paper. It will be messy and hectic, but often it is exactly what children need to grow.