“First I look at what I want to draw. Then, I think. And then I draw around the think.”
- James, 9 yrs. old



Aidan did this painting for his Papa on canvas, age 5.



Marion's Tips for Doing Art with Kids

• All intellectual activity boils down to problem solving, and that’s what you do when you are making art.

• All cultures make art, it’s part of basic human experience. It is inherently pleasurable to make marks with chalk or paint, and stack blocks….drawing, painting, sculpture.

• In making art, there are no “right” answers. Kids really need this in these times of standardized tests and standardized everything.

• There are some basic skills to be taught about using materials, but those are fun, too.

• Art activities vs. video games: art helps you relate to the world around you, video shuts the world out.

• 3-D experiences are very important for young children. We give babies blocks and shape sorters, but then we switch to crayons and paper and forget the 3-d stuff for school age children.

• Kits are fine to learn the skills to make a new thing, like weaving, or window stickers, but their value is limited. There are things to get away from, such as color pictures of exact results and tracers for shapes.

• Don’t impose your esthetic standards on your kids. Learn to appreciate what they like as much as you can stand it in their rooms, clothes, artwork. They’ll probably grow up to share your taste, but they have to try out their own things.

• Be very careful of what you praise, kids hear your praise in a louder voice than the creative voices insides their heads. Praise the idea more than the results. Ask them about their work.

• Fight the urge to praise realistic renderings or pretty pictures, in terms of creativity you should think of them as a big “so what”? Look for creative things to notice, unusual solutions.

Jasmine draws King Triton and Arial , age 4.

"Artsy" Articles Fostering Creativity It's the Doing That Counts Imagine That Books About the Creative Arts Cultivating Self-Expression Elements of Creativity Websites to Help Kids Create! Art Education Learn about art. Visit museums. Learn about cultures. Interactive sites to make art. Teacher lesson plans and more. The Imagination Factory We teach children and their caregivers creative ways to recycle by making art. Visitors learn dozens of inexpensive ways to create art and crafts as they help save the environment. The lessons and activities include drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, papier-mache, marbling, and crafts, and a special section for holiday art and crafts is featured. KidsArt Hands-On Art Education for Home and School: KidsArt sponsors a large section of FREE art teaching resources and lessons on it's web site. Family Fun: Arts & Crafts Visit Family Fun for craft ideas catergorized by holiday & seasonal, quick & easy, classroom, by age, kids room and how-to videos. Usborne Books Marion recommends the Usborne Art Series. Do a search using the word "art" and you'll discover loads of resources for art ideas.

"When I'm working with the kids," Marion says, "I try to positively reinforce the thing that is creative - maybe someone held the paper a different way - as opposed to just praising that the lines are straight. And if a kid used a green crayon by mistake and thinks he's ruined a picture, I'll pick up a Matisse and show him where the artist painted a portrait of his wife with a green nose."

Art Barn Craft projects that inspire kids' creativity by Lisa Oppenheimer

1. Make the Space
2. Provide the proper materials
3. Offer simple but open-ended projects
4. Resist the urge to "help"
5. Praise the inventive

Read the full article.

Jade creates a one-of-a-kind poster , age 3. She said it's a picture of "things".

More Art Ideas on Kids Can Do!