Mommy Teach Me:: Art

Art

A picture says
a thousand words.

Barbara sitting in a huge chair

Making art an important part of your family's cultural heritage will add richness and meaning. Try a family outing to an art museum - but be sure to teach good museum manners to your child first so everyone else can enjoy their experience too. Check out art books from the library - but be sure you've taught your child proper care of books. Introducing your child to the cultural heritage of art raises the bar in many ways.

Bring art into your home by decorating your walls with a purpose. Hang child-sized masterpieces at their eye level. Sit on the floor with your children and engage them ask leading questions about the pictures.

Oh, and do have hands-on art whenever possible at home. Our approach to art can be reverent - and it can be lots of fun too

	Kid Friendly Art One simple way to enrich the lives of your children is to bring art into your home. You don't have to know much to get started - I didn't! - but the key for moms is to see things through a child's eyes. Kids are so responsive to pictures! Good art can lead to enriched language experiences and can stimulate critical thinking skills. To show how I've used art at home, I simply took a walk through my house to share what I've collected over 38 years of mothering - with my thoughts on each. Keep in mind that like every mother, I started from scratch.
	Kids' Standing Art Easel If you can afford it, a painting easel is a great investment. Buy the paper in rolls to save money - see Melissa and Doug's Companion Set. You don't need to buy a kid's painting apron - just use an old shirt of dad's.
	Companion Painting/Art Supplies Includes a roll of paper, paint, cups, brushes to get you started.
	Mary Cassatt coloring book Dover coloring books are incomparable - and they have a whole series of Color Your Own Masterpieces which can help your child grow in so many ways. See Stickers, coloring books and pincer grasp.
	Prisma Color Pencils These are pricy, but they so outclass any others in terms or performance and results. They just feel good to use - and feeling is important to keep kids motivated and working independently. I'm not suggesting these for tiny tots, but for children old enough to work on the Dover coloring books. Here is how to maximize the benefits fo the coloring experience: When you introduce the pencils, handle them reverently so your child will do the same. Show him how to take out one at a time and put it back before taking out another. When teaching how to use the coloring books, make sure he's positioned at the right height at the table (with the tabletop at the level of his body where you would want it on yours), with the coloring book at the proper writing slant, and his left hand stabilizing the book at the upper left. Encourage him to sit up straight rather than leaning over his work. You begin coloring the first picture - or another you can finish side-by-side with him - with up-and-down, left-to-right movements. In this way, the fine motor control is further tuned toward developing a foundation for handwriting skills.
	Smart About Art I don't know about your background, but mine was pretty culture-deprived. Now, through all I learned while introducing my children to the world of art and music, my life is all the richer. Our cultural heritage is not stuffy and boring, but vibrant and alive - and sharing that heritage enriches our family bonds! This series of books offer a way for parents of any background to connect with their kids around art and all the conversation it inspires. Don't forget to take in art museums when you can - why delegate that part of your child's life to school field trips?
	Mommy, It's a Renoir! A wonderful program to introduce your child to art, while providing a matching activity and conversational opportunities. The beginning of a step-by-step program you can continue as your child matures.
	Six Van Gogh Cards Here's a start on getting those eye-level pictures for your child to enjoy (after all, he can't see what you hang at yours!). A nice idea is to put a picture of someone reading near your child's reading nook, a picture of the outdoors near her coat hooks. You can laminate or frame with inexpensive frames from Target. For more artists, search "art cards" at amazon. For larger pieces, visit posters.com.
	Frame Starter Kit Here's how cheap it is to get started on framing low-cost art for your child to enjoy at her eye-level. Twenty bucks for ten frames - you can hardly beat that! Target and WalMart are great sources for low cost frames. And what to frame? If you save greeting cards, rummage through for ready-to-frame-and-hang pictures, or search amazon.com for "art card."

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