As an art teacher and mama I am passionate about introducing kids to art at a young age. I am not talking about craft projects here (although those have merit for other reasons), I am talking about free unstructured, getting dirty, art making.
As I watch my 2.5 year old daughter play and pretend and imagine, her capacity for creating is huge. When I compare that to my middle school art students, well, sometimes their imagination and creativity leaves much to be desired. As we get older we lose that uninhibited drive to express ourselves, to be creative, and to march to the beat of our own drum with little consideration of what others think.
So often I see and hear parents, correcting their little ones when they are creating art. Comments like, “You need to put black spots on your cow,” “Horses aren’t purple,” “Are you sure you want to use that color?” “Why don’t you make your bird blue.” When we do this aren’t we stifling their creativity? Does it really matter if their horse is purple? They will, after all, eventually learn that horses are not really purple. Kids have so much time to do things the “right way” why not give them an area where they can freely express themselves and just be creative.
One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is paint. Personally, I let her paint on cheap canvases that I buy in bulk and I let her use acrylic paint. I blame the acrylic paint on the art teacher in me, but you can use any kind of paint if the permanence scares you. I just let her go for it and experiment with the paint. There is no right or wrong when she is creating. She picks the colors, she picks the methods, and she decides when she is done. Here are my top five tips for creating a successful and authentic art experience with young kids.
1. Embrace the Mess
Art is messy but messy can be fun. I keep a large plastic reusable tablecloth on hand that can cover the floor. I also strip my daughter down to her diaper or put an old shirt on her to cover all of her clothes. I keep a package of baby wipes or wet paper towels handy for any “emergency messes” and then we just clean up when we are done.
2. Offer Choices
We have a paint shelf in our house so when we get set to paint I have my daughter pick out the colors she would like to use. We usually pick 5-6 and yes, I even let her choose black or brown if she wants. I also have lots of “miscellaneous art supplies” so I let her choose other materials as well (tissue paper squares, sequins, puffy paint). If she only wants paint, that’s what we use but I give her the choice of using something else too.
3. Teach Techniques but Don’t Control
As my daughter paints I do offer tips in techniques but not in style. I may explain to her that it’s a good idea to wash her brush when she wants a new color and then dry it on a paper towel. I also encourage her to use colors like black last so we don’t cover up the other colors. I might also show her how to use the lid of the puffy paint as a stamp to make circles. I refrain from comments about how she should paint or what colors she should use. Because we do this often I have found that she is very clear on what she wants to do and if I let her just do it, she just goes to town with little guidance.
4. Let go of Perfection
Art does not have to be perfect and art done by a toddler does not need to look like an adult made it. Let your child take ownership of their work and they may just surprise you. Colors will mix and make brown, there may be no recognizable objects, but this is all okay. My favorite thing to do with these “abstract paintings” is go back and paint words or phrases on top of them and hang them in the house or give them as gifts. I have several hanging in our playroom with little phrases painted on them and what grandparent doesn’t love a handmade gift!
5. Ask about their Work
Take the time to engage your child in a conversation about their work. Ask them what they painted or what their favorite part is. My husband even gets involved in this part and he will talk about his favorite part and how he likes certain colors or shapes she made. The pride in that little face when you tell her that she made something awesome and she knows she really did that all by herself is priceless.
I live by these ‘rules’ as well with my boys but it makes me happy to read them! You were preaching to the choir but I was saying a lot of “Amens” while reading!! As a former elementary teacher, I can agree that kids’ imaginations are very, very limited these days. Some of them can barely access it anymore. Our world needs moms who parent by the words posted above.