5 Tips For Developing Artistic Skills in Children

“Art” is more than an object, a song, or a poem. Most accurately, art is the entire creative process. Whether or not a parent views his child as a budding artist, art appreciation can have a profound effect on every aspect of the child’s development. Through art, a child learns to express himself, to create a physical expression of his thoughts. Unfortunately, art classes are among the first classes eliminated when a school needs to tighten its fiscal belt. However, a parent can encourage his child’s creativity with a number of fun and affordable options.

 

1. Don’t Be Afraid To Be Messy

A mess can be cleaned, but stifled creativity never returns. Chances are good that a child’s art project will create a mess, regardless of his age. A parent should never be afraid to make a mess with his child. Children learn through their hands. Dirty hands and a happy heart are always better than clean hands and misery. For a simple home project, a parent can make modeling dough from a simple mixture of flour and water. The child will enjoy kneading the dough until it is ready to use. The child will learn portions if his parent asks his to divide the dough into four balls. The parent can then add a few drops of food coloring to each ball and allow his child to knead the dough until the color is evenly distributed. The parent should participate in the child’s creativity, asking him relevant questions about his creation and praising his efforts.

 

2. Try Rhyming Games

The “rhyming game” broadens a child’s vocabulary. Children love words that rhyme. A parent can create this experience for his child at any time. The parent can start the game with a simple sentence such as, “I like books”. Depending on the child’s age, he may respond with, “I like cooks”. If the child responds, “I like snooks”, his parent should ask him what “snooks” are. After all, creativity is the name of the game. If a child can describe a “snook”, it is a valid word. In asking that simple question, the parent is validating that the child used the correct form of speech – a noun – and that the child is not afraid to create his own nouns, complete with descriptions.

 

3. Try Making Music

Children love noise. As an adult, a parent has learned to distinguish between music and noise. Children, on the other hand, are not nearly as discerning. Whether the activity involves banging a spoon and a pot or singing a simple song, a child will be happy to have his parent participate in the activity with him. He will not care if his parent does not have the voice of an opera singer or the rhythm of a professional drummer. He only cares that his parent is validating his creativity. Parents who sing simple songs with their child encourage him to use his memory to recreate the words and the melody. Parents who play drums with pots and pans can teach a child that different containers create different noises. Parents who can remember a few of the more complex “patty cake” songs teach their child music and hand/eye coordination.

 

4. Try Dancing

Children love movement. A parent who is unafraid to dance will engender freedom of expression and coordination of movement in his child. A parent does not need to know all of the steps to “Dance Fever” in order to impress his child. He only needs to allow himself to move freely with the music and encourage his child to do the same.

 

5. Games Like Hide And Seek Are Worthwhile

Children love a challenge. While most children experience a phase of challenging their parents by responding, “No!” to every suggestion, they can be equally challenged with a game of hide and seek. Children of every age enjoy this game. Young children use hide and seek as an opportunity to explore the fact that they can be separated from a parent and still be safe. A parent should always watch where his child is hiding, surreptitiously of course, in order to ensure that the child is not hiding anywhere unsafe. Then the parent can “find” the child, calling out, “I wonder where Susie is?” and, “Wow! She was just here a minute ago!” Phrases such as these encourage a child’s independence and praise his ability.

 

James Adams is employed as a full-time writer and HP toner analyst with Cartridge Save, a shop providing HP cartridges.

 

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