Introducing art to children can provide tons of benefits. Studies show that art activities encourage a child’s brain development, engage their senses, and improve their social-emotional, cognitive, and multisensory skills. The arts also promote creativity, which can foster mental growth in children and encourage problem-solving.
Art can significantly affect the growth and development of kids, which is why you should encourage them to take part in art activities. And contrary to popular belief, this task is easy. Here’s how you can encourage kids to try arts:
1. Enroll Them in Classes
Kids love to do things when they’re surrounded by their peers. This environment can help kids lessen stress and encourage them to take on tasks they’ve never done before.
To encourage kids to try arts, find an art franchise that offers a group painting class. Enrolling your kids in group painting classes is a great way for them to learn more about colors, express themselves better, and socialize with other people.
2. Allow Them to Try Different Things
Instead of constantly telling your kids what they should and shouldn’t do, encourage them to try different things. Forcing your child to do what you want (and not what they want) can prevent them from being creative.
For example, if your kids don’t show interest in using crayons, introduce other art supplies, such as watercolor, clay, or colored pencils. You can also provide them with paper, glue, and scissors and let them create different arts using these materials.
3. Support Their Creative Expression
Art is very broad, and your kids will likely show interest in different forms. As a parent or guardian, you should avoid tying your kids to play the violin or piano — encouraging your little ones to try the arts doesn’t work this way.
Give your kids the freedom to express their creativity and support them every step of the way. For instance, if your kids show interest in playing drums, research facilities that offer classes or where you can rent or buy a drum set. You can also show support by letting your kids watch videos of the best drummers playing.
4. Always Have Fun
As mentioned, arts provide a lot of benefits to children. However, this doesn’t mean that you should strictly impose art activities on your children. This takes away the fun and makes the process tedious and boring.
There are plenty of ways to encourage kids to try the arts while still having fun. You can spend some time singing and dancing at home as this helps develop your kids’ harmony, timing, and rhythm. You can also teach your kids to pay attention to details, namely shapes, colors, textures, and lines, by gazing at the natural wonders as you take long walks.
5. Praise Them
Did your kids finish a drawing? Attended group painting classes for consecutive days in a week? No matter how little these achievements are, don’t forget to praise your kids for their efforts. This will encourage them to continue showing interest in the arts and make them feel valued.
6. Take Them to Museums
With the number and variety of pieces exhibited, taking your kids to a museum is one of the best ways to introduce arts to them. But when you get there, avoid dragging your kids through every exhibit. Give them enough time to explore and witness the masterpieces of other artists.
Additionally, it’s best if you ask them questions about the pieces they’re interested in. This will help stimulate their minds and keep them engaged in the arts.
7. Work Together
Many kids find it hard to take on art activities because they don’t know where and how to start. Your kids might be interested in drawing landscapes but are clueless about which materials to use.
Work alongside your little ones to make it easier for them to try and love the arts. If they’re interested in drawing, provide the necessary materials and show them how these are used. You can even teach them simple techniques — like how to blend colors or draw a straight line or circle — to make their artworks more appealing.
8. Create a Workspace
The fear of seeing your house transform into a complete mess will always be there when you try to introduce arts to your kids. Kids love to tinker and play, which means they often leave a mess.
To encourage kids to try arts without compromising your home’s aesthetics, create a workspace complete with different art materials. This will keep kids excited about doing different forms of art while preventing them from making messes around the house. — it’s a win-win for you!
9. Display Your Kids’ Work
Whenever your kids finish a work of art, display them around your home. You can place the artwork on your fridge or hang it on one of your walls. This will make your kids feel appreciated and motivate them to continue producing different artworks!
10. Collect Examples
You can collect examples of different arts to acquaint your kids with styles and artists from different cultures. For example, you can collect different paintings and let your kids draw inspiration from them. Your kids might copy the colors of the paintings, but they will surely add their personal touches to make their pieces more distinct.
Follow Tips
Who says encouraging kids to try the arts is challenging? As long as you follow all of the tips mentioned here, you can achieve that goal in no time!
