We can’t all be artists, but we all have a potential for it, and if that potential is adequately nurtured it can flourish into something beautiful. You can never expect your child to become an artistic genius on his or her own. But if you provide enough motivation and support, you can successfully nurture your child to become a minor online celebrity.
Art is just like any other skill, it must be honed, and if you are talented the learning process is easier, but even without talent, a child can become an artist with enough practice and encouragement. So, here are five ways to help your children become accomplished artists in the future.
1. Provide inspiration
Children do not like to follow instructions – they like to explore and find what they like on their own. So, the best thing you can do is affect their environment and hope they will find something interesting that they would like to replicate. You can play different types of music to see whether they like what they hear, you can leave some comic books on the shelves and see if they are interested in reading, or you can decorate your walls with paintings.
Another thing you can do is provide your kids with the right tools, and if they are inspired by the art that surrounds them, they can immediately start to channel their creativity. So, make sure you have quality pens for drawing or brushes for painting, or you can buy a couple of instruments like a xylophone.
It’s important to remember that even if your child is not particularly good at drawing, painting or playing an instrument, you should be glad that he or she has interest for it, and nurture that desire properly.
2. Teach your child how to draw
Sometimes children can be discouraged from pursuing their passion because it seemed difficult on their first attempt. Luckily, there are ways to tutor your children even if you are not a professional. There are various cool things to draw that are really easy, and you can teach your kid how to draw fairly quickly.
Once the kid sees that it is easy and that he or she is good at it, there will be no hindrance to pursuit this passion. Of course, these are mostly basic cartoonish pictures, and it can’t be said that they have outstanding artistic value, but they will serve as perfect encouragement, and as a basis for future artistic endeavors.
Besides, even if your kid doesn’t become the next Picasso or Da Vinci, knowing how to draw can be helpful for finding a good job in the future. Graphic design is one of the most requested skills nowadays, because there are tons of tech firms that develop applications and video games, and these products require quality graphic design. Also the child can design logos, book covers, music album covers etc. Meaning, it’s definitely a useful skill to have.
3. Coloring books
Your kid might be too young to draw or play an instrument, since it lacks a firm hand grip and coordination. However, your kid can still color and that can be a good hobby as well. Coloring will help your kid develop better color recognition, it is relaxing and, most importantly, it can inspire the child to draw once he or she feels more confident. You can either buy a coloring book and crayons so that your child can use them during play time, or you can download a coloring book or a coloring pages app from the app store.
The app can be a better solution for beginners, since correcting mistakes and the whole act of coloring is way easier and precise, but in order for kids to develop better hand coordination, coloring with crayons is far better. Make sure you play some soothing background music, so that the whole act of coloring is more immersive and the child will grow to like it even more.
4. Lego blocks
Assuming your kid is not interested in drawing, painting, sculpting or playing music, it still doesn’t mean he or she won’t become an artist. Did you know that there is museum of art that features figures made entirely out of Lego blocks? Maybe there is a creative architect lying dormant within your kid, and Lego blocks are a perfect way to tap into that hidden potential. Legos are used in many schools to teach kids some basics of math, reading and following instructions, and to teach them how to collaborate.
Even though Legos usually come with an instruction manual, they also give your kids a lot of freedom to experiment and build on their own. They can create all sorts of sculptures, buildings, and even worlds if they have enough Legos to pull it off. Additionally, playing with Legos can help children improve their visualization skills, since they are creating something that is three-dimensional.
As mentioned, it’s great for expressing themselves, for allowing their imagination to come to life, and to mold them into an accomplished architect one day.
5. Give them more freedom
Lastly, you should never pressure you kids to be artistic, because it destroys the whole concept of art. You need to give them freedom and be supportive, you need to allow them to discover what they like to create. Maybe they love building sand or snow sculptures, maybe they love to come up with stories and write, or maybe they love to dance.
There are many forms of art nowadays, and even new forms can come to life, because creativity knows no bounds. Art needs to be liberating, it needs to serve as a catharsis, therefore it is not to be forced out, it is only there to be admired, if it resonates with you in the right way. Regardless of what your child creates – it doesn’t matter what it looks like – the most important thing to ask yourself is how it makes you feel.
