Painting is Art

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. When kids begin to explore their talents and specialties, one of the areas some may excel in is painting. Even though painting may not be every child’s cup of tea, it sure does have benefits that both you and your child can learn from together.

A Kid paints with his brain and not with his hands. Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. Kids dream about painting and they paint their dreams.

Why is painting so valuable?

Painting is a way for children to do many important things: convey ideas, express emotion, use their senses, explore color, explore process and outcomes, and create aesthetically pleasing works and experiences.

Give your Child an opportunity to draw without pressure or direction.
Some children shy away from drawing because they don’t think they can ‘do it right’ so providing lots of opportunities to draw on their own terms, when it is not a special activity, when no one else is watching, can give these children the space to experiment and practice without pressure.

Have drawing implements and paper always freely available so your child can draw or write whenever they like, without having to ask and without the pressure of anyone ‘watching’. Try setting up a drawing basket with lots of fun items in it.

It is a good idea to teach children how to prepare to paint independently. Encourage children to ask to paint as well as request materials to use. Introduce where materials are kept, how to clip paper to easel or tape to table, where to place for drying, and proper clean up steps.

Painting Benefits

Among the various aspects that painting allows you to cover, some of the greatest benefits integrated with painting are:

• Painting helps develop eye-hand co-ordination, an important skill in their age. This is developed while they learn to paint the parts that they see; making sure their hand movement is at par with their vision.
• Painting is a great way to develop and refine small muscle movement and control — the skills needed for writing!
• Painting uses both the left, analytical and logical, side of the brain and the right, emotional and creative, side of the brain. Being able to use and integrate both sides of the brain is important for complex thinking and problem solving.
• Painting encourages open-ended creativity. There is no one right way to paint and we are free to express our ideas and creativity any way we like.
• Painting can be calming, and a way of relieving stress or working through difficult situations.
• Painting can be a social activity or done on your own, depending on your mood and needs.
• Painting can buy parents a chunk of quiet. Older kids can paint independently while you do other things, little kids will need some supervision but will at least stop nagging you… hopefully!
• Painting can help your children communicate their emotions or feelings. Through the use of different colors, they can express themselves without the use of words.
• Painting allows children an educational opportunity that is also fun and exciting.
• Painting aids your child develop mobility skills. Their hand muscles are being used, which allows them a scope to develop both mentally and physically.
• Painting helps children acquire skills on how to focus on trivial details, painting on a canvas or a piece of paper requires varied painting skills.
• Painting can be a great podium for children to progress and discover their creativity. They learn about various color mixtures and how they go together.
• Painting lets us practice creative thinking, decision making and problem solving in a non-threatening environment.
• Painting provides lots of opportunities to learn — about colours, shapes, representing ideas, making marks, colour mixing, cause and effect, experimenting…
• Painting can help children learn sizes, shapes, patterns and designs. These are all critical aspects of their curriculum during pre-school years.
• Painting helps children develop their decision-making skills. They need to plan ahead as they choose which color should be used for different parts of the painting.
• Perhaps the greatest benefit is the fact that painting provides you and your children a great platform to bond and spend valuable time together.

These are just a few benefits your child can acquire from painting. Painting can be a significant part of your child’s overall development and upbringing. Making it a point to take some time out once in a while to paint with your child can prove to be very rewarding in the long run.

Responding to and encouraging children’s painting is important. See if the invitation is open for conversation first. A good way to start may be to describe what you see; “Your painting has long blue lines and orange circles”. Wait to see if the child responds; he/she may want to share more with you or just want to return to her painting. Interrupting may interfere with the painting process.

Painting with young children allows us to see much more than a simple picture. If we observe with careful eyes and ears, we can gain tremendous information about each child. We can share with families what we have discovered and why we feel it is important. We can create enjoyable experiences and support development at the same time; what a masterpiece!

Encourage Child Artists 💕🙏