If you've ever had the opportunity to go to an art museum when children were present, you know that most of them aren't interested. The same is true for classical music concerts, literature, or anything that was never shown on MTV or some other cable channel. That's a shame because these parts of our culture have much to offer them. The good news is that you can use arts and crafts for kids to encourage your children to have a greater appreciation of art – one that will last a lifetime.
Talk about Your Child's Artwork
One way to encourage children to have an interest in the arts is by taking an interest in their art. When you dismiss their creative efforts with arts and crafts for kids, you are sending them a message that these things are not important. If you don't care about their efforts, why should they care about the efforts of dead strangers?
Instead, when your child shows you something he or she has created using arts and crafts for kids, talk about the results. Ask your child questions about the color or the subject. Treat their artwork as the work of a creative mind because that's exactly what it is. Then when you go to the art museum discuss the same types of questions about the art there. Your child will be much more engaged in the conversation.
Appreciate Art from Your Child's Perspective
Children are generally very practical when it comes to art. If you've seen their creations using arts and crafts for kids, you know most of them stick to realism. That's why they may not always be impressed with some of the art you're going to encounter in the local museum. If you child dismisses an important work of art as ugly or stupid, don't chastise him or her. Instead, ask for concrete reasons for the dismissal. Say, "What don't you like about it?" instead of "Don't say that! This is a valuable piece of art!"
Remember that not everyone is entitled to an opinion and that includes your child. The more he or she feels able to express that opinion the more creative he or she will become and the less likely he or she is to hate the museum.
Learning to Love Other Types of Art
While arts and crafts for kids can help your child gain an appreciation of artwork, there are other ways to instill a love of other types of art. For example, if you want your child to love literature, don't hand him or her a dusty book. Instead, read to them from the book or watch a well done film version or listen to the story on tape. These alternative approaches will make the literature more accessible to children and you can help explain what's happening step by step.
Learning to Love Art
One of the best parts of arts and crafts for kids is that they can give your children a reason to love the best of the world's culture and art while possibly giving them the skills to make their own contribution.
Smalltime Child offers a great selection of arts and crafts for kids in addition to Toddler Toys. Check us out on the web at http://www.smalltimechild.com
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