Most parents know that art is good for children, but not everyone is aware of the many developmental benefits it offers. Whether they’re creating art at home or completing creative projects in the classroom, art provides a range of physical, cognitive and emotional advantages for children. But even with all these benefits, it can be hard for families to fit creative projects into busy daily schedules. Here are some practical and fun ways to make art an everyday activity.
How to Make Art Part of Your Child’s Daily Activities
Art doesn’t need to take up hours each day for a child to enjoy quick progress. By planning ahead and making it easy to be creative, art will fit perfectly into everyday life.
Scheduled Art Activities
Starting the day with a sketch pad, pencils and crayons is an easy activity that won’t require too much effort. After kids come home from school, you may have more time to include more advanced supplies, such as paints, clay or collage materials. At bedtime, a relaxing activity like coloring is a good way to unwind.
Quick Projects When Time Is Limited
Due to the importance of creative time for children, it’s a good idea to have a series of quick projects ready for those days when time is limited. Creating prompt cards with 10-minute art project ideas is an exciting way to keep children engaged. Projects could include sketching one visible item in the room, creating doodle board designs, or drawing a picture using only circles or squares.
Use Everyday Household Items
Creating art with simple household items demonstrates that you don’t need expensive materials to be creative. Initially, you could encourage your child to point out anything that might be suitable, such as paper towel tubes, old magazines, plastic containers, sticky notes, pasta and cereal boxes. With a good selection of items, kids can brainstorm a project idea, such as designing collages or crafting masks.
Create a Dedicated Art Space
Creating a daily routine is easier when your child has a dedicated creative space they can use. You could place a small desk in the living room or their bedroom, along with pencils, paints, paper and other key art supplies. With an organized space, a child has a place to go when they feel inspired to work on an idea or project.
Plan Weekend Art Projects
Larger art projects for kids are often better suited to weekends. With more time available, you could combine art with a nature walk or a visit to a local park. Children can use this experience to learn about different textures and colors, along with trying leaf printing and nature collages using fallen leaves and twigs.
Access Free Art Lessons for Children
At Golden Road Arts we produce high-quality art content for elementary and middle school students. Browse our collection of instructional lessons and art literacy guides to promote art and creativity at home and in the classroom. Call (503) 718-7097 or try free art lessons online.
