Artistic development is an important part of a child’s early life, but it can be hard to encourage this when the child seems to lack interest in their project. With parents pushing for their kids to become future artists, it would seem that art education may be overlooked within many preschools and infant schools. This puts a lot of pressure on the parents who want their kids to be creative in school by providing opportunities and creating artistic projects.
Many people also wonder how they can encourage artistic development in kids when they struggle with drawing, painting, or sculpting. This article will look at the ways in which parents can encourage artistic development during childhood, as well as ways that parents can promote art in infancy and toddlers.
What Does Artistic Development Means?
Artistic development means that the child is starting to explore their creative abilities. This can be done by creating pieces used for various purposes, such as creating a picture for a wall or canvas. The range of art forms the child can choose from is also important for encouraging artistic development. For example, the child can create a drawing of a building or piece of jewelry. Other artistic interests can include painting and composing music.
How Can Art Education Help In The Development Of a Child’s Learning?
Art education is a great way for a child to begin their artistic development. Providing art lessons for children in Montessori school will allow them to learn basic artistic techniques at an early age. This could help the child later on in their life if they decide they want to pursue a career within the arts.
Art classes can also be helpful as they offer more of an individualized experience and allow kids to create artwork according to their specifications. The most common art classes are taught through preschool, but there are other classes available such as art classes by Montessori Academy, that are encouraged for those who want to start their artistic abilities at a younger age.
Artistic Development Throughout Childhood
Artistic development throughout childhood is essential because it encourages the creative side of a child’s personality. However, developing creativity not only happens in school but can also happen at home.
When it comes to encouraging your child’s artistic development, you should create opportunities in which they will not feel forced to work.
How To Support Kids Artistic Development?
There are many natural outlets to pursue artistic development, many of which are simple and free. For example, the kids could paint in their backyard, or the parents could put up a sign for them over their garage door where they could draw mazes using colored pencils on construction paper. It would be a great opportunity for kids to wear out some of their artistic energy without worrying about having to complete an art project as a reward for completing other tasks that may be more important, like studying.
There are also some things that you can do at home that encourage artistic development without being too pushy on your child’s part. It may include:
1. Ask open-ended questions
When trying to encourage artistic development, it is key not to just give your child a prompt. Rather you should ask open-ended questions that may spark their natural artistic ability and creativity. For example, instead of saying: “Can you draw a picture for me?” Try saying: “What do you see over there? Can you draw it for me?” It will allow your child to tell the story behind what they are drawing.
2. Encourage Your Child’s Creative Thinking
Because art is a form of creative thinking, it’s important to encourage your child’s creative thinking as much as you can. When you have time, show your little one an everyday object and ask how they can use it in various ways. For instance, they can use a plastic cup to hold pennies, drink milk, or even serve as a flowerpot. This creative activity encourages your little ones to apply creative thinking to objects and happenings in their daily lives.
3. Read Stories To Them
Reading stories with your children is a great way to encourage artistic development. You can spark their interest in the arts and what art is all about by reading about art. It could also spark a love for storytelling, which takes children through various situations where they may need to use their imagination and creativity. But remember to only choose at your child’s reading level. An example of a book for kids is Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. The idea of Green Eggs and Ham extended into a sixty-page story teaches your little one how to think outside the box and create connections to one main idea.
4. Engage Children In Dramatic Play
Dramatic play is an outlet for children to use their imagination and apply creative thinking. It can encourage artistic development by allowing your child to use various materials from your house and create their world and characters. For example, a child could grab some Lego’s and create their world, or use their Barbie dolls as characters and act out scenes with them. With dramatic play, children are creating their own storylines, which will hopefully spark an interest in other things as well.
5. Make Some Music
All kids love to make music with unusual items around the house. For example, they could take pots and pans or even their toys and make musical instruments. So, you can turn over some Tupperware for a simple drum set. This will help encourage your child’s musical abilities as well as their artistic development.
6. Help Your Child Engage In Art Activities
There are many art activities that children can do every day to encourage artistic development without having to invest in an expensive art class at a school or studio. Encourage your little one to combine art supplies in various ways. Below are some ideas for children of different ages.
- Provide your two-year-old child with pre-cut shapes such as rectangles, squares, circles, and triangles made out of multi-colored construction paper, which they can glue together on a piece of cardboard.
- Provide your three-year-old kid with play dough which they can use to create shapes, and offer some cheerios, raisins, jellybeans, and marshmallows to stick into it.
- Give your four-year-old child some yarn, ribbon, and fabric, which they can turn into dolls and doll clothing.
- Give your five-year-old child some tissue paper, paint, and construction paper which they can use to make a collage.
- Offer your six-year-old child acrylic paints mixed with flour or shaving cream, which they can use to create abstract art.
Final Thoughts
Art is a good way for children to express themselves and their emotions. However, it’s vital to remember that not every child is gifted in the arts. Therefore, it’s important to help them find their form of artistic expression while you try to nurture your own child’s artistic development without being too pushy on them. We hope this article has inspired you to encourage your child’s artistic development.
We offer programs that develop children’s artistic sense here at Montessori Academy. We believe that every kid has an innate desire to be creative and express themselves in their own unique way. Our job is to help them find their outlet and encourage this creative expression. So, if you are looking for a place to help your child develop their artistic sense, please give us a call at (323) 795-0200 for West Adams and (310) 215 -3388 for Culver City.
