As a parent, it can be challenging to share your interest in the arts with your child in such a way that they can process the information you are telling them and find enjoyment. While you may be able to tell the type of tools an artist used by a brush stroke or which classical artist wrote a piece from the style of the music, young children lack that level of understanding.
By forcing our interests upon our children in a way that is too challenging for them to understand, we end up driving them away from our passions.
Beyond putting your child in lessons, here are some ways you can share your passion for the arts while letting them explore and create their own artistic path.
Change Up Story Time
For parents passionate about the literary arts, reading with your children can help their development while giving you an opportunity to share your passion for the written word. Reading age-appropriate stories will keep your child actively engaged, but that doesn’t limit you from changing things up sometimes.
Feel free to occasionally read poems to your child or purchase poetry books targeted at a younger artist. Poets like Shel Silverstein take a whimsical, child-oriented approach to poetry while other greats like Robert Frost use easy to understand language that is simple to process. You can also find child-friendly versions of The Iliad and Moby Dick if you want to introduce more complex stories at an early age.
Encourage Theatrical Play
Start acquiring old clothes and bargain costumes after Halloween to create a dress up chest. You can build a stage that is simple to set up and tear down with pipe and drape. Print easy scripts for your children to read or encourage them to create stories of their own to showcase to the family. With technology today, they can even choose music to go along with their story and record their own edited movie.
Not only can theatrical play help your child build a passion for the arts, but it can also provide hours of entertainment on a rainy day. It can help them increase their vocabulary and memory. Furthermore, theatrical play can help them convey their emotions and develop their emotional intelligence, teaching them the right words with which to express their feelings when problems arise.
Diversify Their Music
If you go to the home of a music-lover, it is not uncommon to hear music at all times either predominantly or in the background. Musically inclined individuals often have the easiest time exposing their children to their passion, as many start the process while their child is still in utero.
Consider signing your child up for a music aggregator that will create playlists based on their interests. Applications like Spotify will take songs you add manually and introduce new songs based on your interests on a regular basis. Encourage your children to express themselves through dance. You can take the same route as the theatrically inclined individuals and create a simple stage where your kids can choreograph and perform their pieces. You can even purchase costumes at https://www.justforkix.com/dance-costumes to complete the picture.
Have Art Supplies Readily Available
Having an arts and crafts station with supplies readily available is a great way to keep your children entertained while fueling their passion for art and creativity. Source easy to complete or age-appropriate instructions for different projects, or let them come up with their own pieces. You can even spend the day and go to an art gallery as a family activity for inspiration.
Art is the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon and it is also a portable activity that can be indulged in while traveling or while outdoors. Young artists aren’t limited to colored pencils, watercolors, and crayons. Encourage them to use natural elements from outside to create a spring-inspired image, or scraps of fabric to design outfits for their toys.
Art is defined as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination” and is an essential part of our global culture. Help your child find what artform speaks to them and then encourage it in any way you can.