Being creative gives young children a way to explore and make sense of their world. Creating art allows them an opportunity to develop their gross motor skills, fine motor skills, observation skills, language skills and hand eye co-ordination.
How do you ‘teach’ your child to ‘do’ art and achieve all these developmental benefits?
You don’t!
Children are born creative…it is the adults who need to learn. We need to learn how to let go of the outcome. The learning is in the journey. So who cares if Jessica draws a dog with only 3 legs and green spots? That is HER dog and I will bet that she has a fabulous back story as to why it looks that way too…
So rather than teach children art, simply teach them how to handle art materials and give them somewhere safe to use them. Trust me – they will take care of the creative part and drag you along for the ride.
Let go of the outcome, let children explore their creativity on their own terms and just be there to support and encourage the journey. That’s the least you can do. In the coming posts I will give little tips and hints and ideas and maybe, just maybe, you will learn to explore your creativity and rekindle a lost spark too!
Welcome to Brains are Built with Art – and guess what? You’re never to old for a little brain building!
