My toddler has always been a surprisingly active fan of the arts. At around two and a half years of age, she started giving titles to her scribbles. A page of lines and squiggles suddenly became "A Mama and Baby," while series of scratches were, "Cars Pooping on the Road." About four months before her third birthday, I was starting to be able to discern specific shapes and patterns in her doodles.
This level of artistic interest isn't typical for a toddler, so I was happy to have found a skill that interested her so specifically. Through home-schooling and regular artistic activities, art has now become one of her primary interests and a strong skill. Here are a few tips to encourage your own artsy toddler.
1. Give her the tools. Surround your child with art supplies so that you can keep her interests and abilities alive. Fill your home with crayons, markers, paint, construction paper, glue, copy paper and empty cardboard boxes. A home filled with art supplies is a perfect first studio for your budding artistic toddler.
2. Give her a head-start. My daughter's favorite subject to draw is the "circle-bunny". Circle bunnies are complex creatures that start out as a single circle. Although this head-start should be easy enough for her to initiate independently, she is much more able to draw a rabbit if I give her a simple beginning structure. Try drawing a shape and asking your child to turn it into something more recognizable. You'll be surprised by what she comes up with!
3. Put your printer to use. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of art opportunities for toddlers that you can print from your own home computer. From coloring pages and connect-the-dot to finish-the-picture and color-by-number, your toddler can work with hundreds of printable art projects.
4. Involve his peers. Preschool programs, arts centers, children's museums and libraries in your area likely offer art programs for toddlers and preschool-age children. These simple craft projects are more enjoyable, and possibly easier, when they are done in group settings. Peer support from our local library and children's museum have provided excellent learning opportunities to my own artsy toddler.
5. Give him ideas. If your toddler draws nothing but trees (or rabbits, like my child) give him ideas of other things he can enjoy drawing or painting. Suggest that he draw a picture of your pet, your kitchen, a rainbow, a rabbit or his favorite cup. The influx of new ideas can keep his mind (and crayon) well-occupied.
6. Keep it fun. There's no point in forcing a toddler to create artwork if it's not in line with his own interests. Art should be enjoyable, and forcing an inappropriate hobby on your toddler will only make him more resistant to it. If your toddler turns down an opportunity to paint, glue, or draw, let it go. He doesn't have to be the next Van Gogh just yet.
7.Collaborate. If you have artistic skills-- or even if you don't-- try working with your toddler on art projects. Draw a horse's head while your toddler draws the body. Draw the front hooves while your toddler draws the hind hooves. The resulting project is going to be both interesting and oddly sentimental-- it stands as a symbol of your toddler's budding skills and the relationship that you share.
8. Enroll him in a class. Most professional art classes are open only to older children, but your toddler may be ready to enter a professionally guided preschool art program some time in the future. Check with private schools, public schools and local artists in your area to see who offers affordable classes to young children. If your toddler is exceptionally gifted, he may even be able to enroll in a class designed for older children.
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