For kids, expressing themselves through art is something very important. As you can see in the pictures, they love being artists.

Here are a couple of tips that you might find useful to help your kids enjoy the experience of creating.

Talking to children about their art

Around the age of 3 ½ children may start to have a plan for what they are drawing. However, as adults we don’t know what our children’s intentions are. It is a good idea to talk about what your child is drawing because it shows interest, but it is important not to label the unknown. A general statement like “Can you tell me about your picture” is a good conversation starter allowing your child to tell their story. Displaying your child’s art works on the fridge or making a frame for special work shows them that what they have done is important.

What drawing experiences can you provide?

Children need a variety of items to draw with and draw on. These could be pens, chalk, crayons, paint and brushes. Items like paper, cardboard, boxes, concrete, or even the fence, are good places to draw on. Start drawing experiences as soon as your child shows interest; usually from around eight months. If you don’t want delightful artwork added you your walls it is best to have a regular ’drawing place’, like a small table and chairs, and rules about the pens staying on the table. The best paper has no lines so children are not confined when they first experiment with making marks on paper. Perhaps try taking your drawing materials outside under a big tree in fine weather. Another idea is to paint the fence or concrete with a mixture of water and a few drops of food colouring, this washes off well in the rain.