As a parent, you can quickly determine your child’s interest in art. Young as they are, you can see their inclination towards different art forms, whether it is in painting, music, dance, etc. While it is true that encouraging your child to unleash their inner artist can forge a future career in their chosen art form, the benefits are even more than that. The skills that they develop with your nurturing can help them build up various skills that are essential in multiple areas of their lives. Additionally, it develops their self-confidence, knowing that they have a unique talent recognized and fully appreciated by family members from the start. From here, they can look forward to sharing this talent with even more people and find ways to further enhance their gift.
The great thing about children is that they are not limited by the rules that more mature artists follow. They enjoy that sense of freedom when they sit down to paint, using colors that spring out of their imagination. According to studies, stimulating your child’s creativity improves their motor skills. They become more adept with language, are comfortable communicating with others, and do better academically. However, it would be best to always keep in mind that creativity should be a fun experience for a child. When it starts to feel like they are pressured to accomplish something, they can easily relate art with something strenuous and obligatory.
To nurture your child’s inner artist, here are a few ideas for you.
Introduce them to various mediums
Your child’s passion for painting, for instance, can be further nurtured by introducing them to various mediums to create their art piece. There are watercolors, acrylics, pastels, etc., that you can surround them with, and they will have a feel of what each medium can produce. While doing this, however, remember that you must present them with tools that they can manage. For younger children, watercolors are typically the best choice as they can be cleaned up quickly and allow the child to experiment with blending colors. Pastels and oils may require you to supervise your child because they are a little more challenging to blend. For musicians and dancers, take the time to bring them to concerts and theatre performances to inspire them even more.
Appreciate what they do
Children will make mistakes along the way, just like adults do. They can quickly get frustrated when they do not produce what they were hoping to come up with. Just the same, show them that you appreciate the work they put into creating the art piece. Mastering skills takes some time, so help them understand that they have to be a little more patient and keep on trying their best. Creative mistakes happen, and they should even be encouraged as something beautiful can emerge from those minor errors. If they are honing their skills playing a musical instrument or perfecting the steps, show your support by being there and showing how proud you are of what they accomplish.
They say that every child has an inner artist because they are naturally creative. The question is how to maintain that passion even as they grow older. It is up to you as a parent to nurture what is already there and develop it even more.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-baby-mixing-multicolored-paint-on-palette-7138816/
2nd image from https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/unleashing-your-childs-inner-artist
