Toddlers are naturally born with two qualities: curiosity and creativity. On top of that, if your child shows a knack for arts and crafts, then that means you’re already halfway there. And getting toddlers interested in art and artistic pursuits more generally can significantly help their literacy and development.
For instance, practicing art helps children develop into adults who have self-esteem, self-discipline, and self-motivation.
So, wondering how to get your young child interested in art? This article will give tips on making art fun for toddlers, the importance of art, and how it can lead to a fun, enjoyable, and positive experience for your child.
Benefits Of Art For Kids
As mentioned before, getting your toddler into art and crafts can be an inexpressibly joyous experience for them as well as for you. But it has many other benefits such as the ones described below:
1. Fine Motor Skills
Kids develop fine motor skills as they use a variety of instruments to paint, such as watercolor, crayons, and colored pencils, which help them later in life.
2. Coordination of the Eyes and Hands
Hand-eye coordination means using what the eyes see to guide your hand to make fine and large motor movements. Learning to control paintbrushes and other painting tools improves hand-eye coordination by focusing on the space between the tool and the painting surface.
3. Increases Concentration
The use of painting as therapy by art therapists has a purpose. It has a strong calming effect. When your toddler is painting, you may see their shoulders drop and their breathing slow down. Moreover, they may even start to hum which is a sign of deep calm.
4. Creativity
Painting is a terrific activity for kids because it allows them to express themselves creatively without worrying about what other people will think of their work.
5. Positive Emotional Release
Toddlers frequently lack the vocabulary to express themselves adequately through language, even though they do tend to have quite some emotional depth. They find that painting allows them to let loose and share their emotions through colors, lines, shapes, and textures.
In addition to being a great stress reliever, painting is an excellent hobby that can lift your child’s spirits.
6. Writing Abilities
Art and painting teach critical pre-writing skills like working with lines and shapes and controlling the tools used to make art. As a matter of fact, kids who have experience with art learn to write faster and better. So art is a great hobby for those who are beginning to write or will soon be.
7. Sensory Language Development
Painting allows kids to engage in a multisensory experience. In addition to expressing themselves with painting tools, they express themselves verbally as they discuss their works of art, which in turn expands their understanding of the world.
8. Organizing
Young artists can develop planning skills while deciding which paints and supplies to use. Before they draw, they decide what they want to show, where the different shapes will go, and what colors they will use. This can help your toddler grow up to be someone who is organized and is a good planner.
How Do You Introduce Art to Kids?
Children naturally have a tremendously expansive imagination. Thus, it’s somewhat easy and incredibly beneficial to introduce kids to painting.
If you’re not sure how to teach painting to young artists, you can follow these:
● Start with Supplies
Give your kids some crayons and paper, and watch the creativity flow. You should prioritize buying large, non-toxic crayons. These crayons are durable and won’t break as easily as regular ones.
You can introduce different materials to your kid as they get more comfortable with using painting tools. It is an excellent opportunity to give kids hands-on experience in the arts while keeping them active.
● Use a Favorite Story
You have to be familiar with your children’s interests. If your kid is interested in art, you can pique their interest with various mediums or give them watercolor paintings for inspirations.
● Discover Your Kid’s Interests
Every child goes through a phase where they can’t get enough of one particular plaything. If you can turn this to your benefit, that would be great.
If your kid prefers playing with trains or cars, then that’s what you should focus on while making art with them.
● Use Their Experiences
Using recent experiences is another way to introduce your kids to art. Let them draw what they recall: a rainy day or a trip to a park or some other memorable experience from the recent past.
● Teach Your Kids About Art
One of the most effective ways to introduce a child to a new interest or talent is to talk more about it. For instance, you can introduce them to concepts such as acrylic painting techniques for beginners.
● Show Them Art
Walking around a gallery or visiting an exhibition are great ways to introduce your child to art and different artists. It could be helpful to introduce them to the works of other well-known artists. For instance, it could spark some inspiration in your child and encourage them to paint or draw more.
● Reuse and Recycle
As your toddler gets interested in arts and crafts, then you can encourage them to experiment with their old toys or old objects in the house and repurpose them into new toys or objects. For instance, cereal boxes or cardboard boxes could be turned into something beautiful by you and your toddler.
● Collaborate With Your Young Ones
Whether or not your kid grows up as imaginative and enthusiastic about a particular interest depends significantly on how actively you engage them in that endeavor. Therefore, you should paint with your child if you want them to develop an interest in art. In addition to getting them into this amazing hobby, you and your kiddo might create a special bond through this.
A Few More Tips to Introduce Art To Toddlers
- Create a space where your child can find paper, pencils, crayons, paint, clay, and other art items. You can create your artwork right at home on the dining room table.
- Toddlers make the best art when they use all of their bodies. A coffee table, an adjustable table, or a children’s canvas are all viable options for working at a lower height.
- Give your child an oversized T-shirt or art smock to wear while making art. Have a separate wardrobe for making art, or don’t let them wear anything.
- If your child needs some ideas, instead of telling themto copy a picture or draw something specific, ask them to make something based on her feelings, dreams, or something along those lines.
Conclusion
The benefits of arts and crafts for children are numerous. All forms of artistic expression—paintings, drawings, musical performances, dances, or plays—benefit children, especially toddlers. They bolster their growth and teaches them new ways of expressing themselves.
Kids are creative, so give them the fundamentals and see what they make. So hope this article about how to get your young child interested in art has inspired you to get started. Simply follow some of the tips we just gave and create wonderful memories with your toddler! Best of luck!