Children and Art

This is my daughter. This is my daughter with a box of her tiny glass beads making bracelets. She just turned 4 but she has been stringing beads on wire since she was two. (No worries I was always with her around small bits.)

I could have gotten those chunky blocky bead toys that help kids learn fine motor skills and not that I don't like those kind of toys or kiddy things, but I see parents just stop there. Little children are like sponges and the learn by doing things hands on. Give children crayons and markers are woderful, but have you ever wondered what they do with more real art supplies?

When I was 8 I asked my mother if I could learn to paint. Everyone told my mom to get me a little paint set and paint by numbers. Which those are fine, but I wanted to learn, really learn how to paint. It took a long time but eventually my mother found me a classes. I remember going to the store to pick out my paint brushes and choosing my real oil paints. It cost a small fortune, but I loved every brush and tube and pencil. I had my ups and downs with paint, but it has been something that stuck around with me and will for the rest of my life. If mom had followed what everyone did by getting cheap paints and paint by numbers I would never had the skill I have today.

My daughter may not become a famous designer of jewelry, but she could if she wanted too. She may make her own jewelry, or become an artist. Or maybe this stringing the beads is starting her skills to be carpenter or a surgeon. Who knows she has a whole world before her. All I know she has finer motor skills working with something that is real.

Don't be afraid to give your kids the real tools to try something.

Until another day

Toodles