Teaching Kids Art Through Picture Books

I ran across this quote by cartoonist Scott Adams this week: “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” We learn quite young to try not to mess up. We want to please others, we don’t want to be punished, we want to be the best in the class. It is hard to turn off all of those motivations when it comes to being creative. 

Art is about learning a skill as well as being creative, so there is legitimacy in trying to follow instructions well. But how to balance learning to be creative with fear of not messing up?

Last week we were talking about fear of messing up (FOMU) and how powerfully that fear affects all of us when it comes to creating art. Did you know that you can encourage your kids and yourselves to quiet that fear of messing up so creativity--and art--can flourish?

Here are some simple suggestions to combat the fear of making mistakes while trying practicing creativity in art. This applies when learning any new skill, whether you are...

There’s nothing more magical than making snowflakes with kids. And if you are a parent who likes to connect art to science, today I'm sharing a great book/art combo that makes learning fun and effortless during the cold winter months! Simply read this story and do an art project-it’s that simple! 

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Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian, is a Caldecott Award winning picture book that tells the story of Wilson Bentley. Wilson was a child fascinated by snow who grew up to study the little miracles we call snowflakes. It is his research that gives us what we know about snowflakes today. 
After reading this picture book together, try this art project with your kids:

Cut a flurry of paper snowflakes. Fold, fold, fold, and cut. Unfold your papers and witness the magic and wonder-making snowflakes never fails to delight kids of all ages! 

Want to extend the snowflake art fun? Try these art ideas:

• Hang your snowflakes on a window with tape.
•  P...

Are you looking for fresh inspiration to brighten your winter days with your kids? I love sharing favorite winter books and art ideas for your elementary aged kids--but I hope you or your older kids will have fun doing them, too! They need only simple supplies and will be a fun activity for kids to look forward to on these sometimes too-cold-to-be-outside days. These projects can stretch to kids from age 3 to older kids, too. Each of the next few weeks I’ll be sharing a new winter art and book idea for you. 

Recently, I had the joy of being with three of our granddaughters ages 3, 4, and 5. We read many winter and snow books and had fun creating together. The girls liked choosing different elements to add to their snow people. Our oldest granddaughter, age 5, created a whole snow family while she dictated to me who was who and the relationships between the snowy people. Her 4 year old sister enjoyed carefully gluing shapes and took a minimalistic approach. Their 3 year old cousin was ...

Do you have those special Christmas cards or ornaments that either you made as a child, or your own children have made? It’s not the actual artistic merit that makes those so valuable and priceless to us. Few of us are Michelangelo, nor are our children Leonardo daVinci. The attribute that makes us hang onto popsicle glitter stars and play dough Christmas trees is this: they represent a memory and a relationship. We remember the moment we made that thing and the joy and pride we felt creating it. Or we remember the shining smiles on our kids’ faces as they presented that creation to us--perhaps wrapped up for us under the Christmas tree.

Making a tradition of creating Christmas art with children is an act of building and has three important benefits you don’t want to miss as you journey this road to your Christmas celebration. You don’t want to waste this opportunity to create together, because you are investing in the relationship you want to have with your kids in the future. That’s...

I'll bet at some point you've thrown a rock into a pond and watched the ripples extend further and further out as a result of your casual toss. I've been thinking a lot about that metaphor this month. 
We never know which action of ours is going to have a ripple effect to touch someone else's ideas and actions, which in turn spark someone else.

Have you ever heard of Savonarola? Probably not. He was a monk and a fiery preacher during the Renaissance  who influenced Michelangelo. It is said Michelangelo heard his voice in his head while painting the Sistine Chapel.  What about Giuliano della Rovere? Ever heard of him? Thought not. He became Pope Julius II, who commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel. Because Michelangelo was a sculptor, it was definitely out of his comfort zone to paint a huge fresco. But the pope influenced him to do it…and we are the recipients of Michelangelo's willingness to change direction.
People and their stories matter. Yours. Your child's. And God...

Want a fun way to inspire kids' imaginations this week? I can't wait to share...but, first, if you are interested in more art and stories in a fun, private online community, jump on the priority list for our Art Club which is coming soon! 

Back to inspiring your kids to draw a time machine...

Do you ever close your eyes and wish you were in your favorite spot? Like, say, a beach location or a place nearer to home that you love to visit? That exercise itself is valuable--it may help you relax and it reduces stress.
If you take it a step further and imagine yourself in a new, yet-to-be-discovered place, or a place you are inventing in your mind, then you begin to also involve your imagination and to work your brain in a new way. And maybe, imagining something and dreaming about it can also spark an adventure or even an invention.

Ask kids the questions, "Where in the world would you like to go?" and "When in time would you travel if you could go visit any time or place?"

Let’s spark y...

While I like cats and was very excited about this month’s theme, I actually don’t own one and never will. Both my husband and I are allergic to cats so our eyes and noses quickly alert us when one is in a closed room. However, I enjoy reading about them and drawing them. This week we will create a cute cat collage.

The first cat Mike and I found on our trip to Italy was sitting outside (thankfully!) on our balcony in the town of Assisi. It was a beautiful gray and white striped tabby cat with green eyes. Tabby is a kind of cat with distinctive stripes on its forehead, body, and tail. 

Another cat can be found in a tapestry in the Vatican. I don't remember seeing this tapestry, but I probably walked past it! It was woven between 1524 and 1531. The artist chose to put a cat and dog at the feet of the table in the story of Jesus at Emmaus.

This month it's been all about cat art--how to draw a cat, how to use that drawing to create a dot cat art piece, and today we’ll do one of my fav...

As  a follower of Jesus, I love thinking about how to incorporate our faith into everything we do as parents and grandparents. Since children are always watching and catching and observing, it's important to take every opportunity to share the wonderful truths we believe with them. Today in keeping with the "Space" theme,  I wanted to reflect on what a peek into the heavens taught me this month.

As I observed that amazing total solar eclipse--the moon covering the sun completely--for 4 rare minutes in Indianapolis on April 8, I was overwhelmed with awe at our Creator and His creation. One of my takeaways from this experience was that I could actually see the sun gradually disappearing behind the moon, and yet...it was still mostly light outside!

Here the sun is almost covered by the moon--but--look how light is still is!:
On the left below, the sky is still blue but the sun is mostly covered (my camera didn't capture well) and on the right, the sky got dark.
We were struck silent when ...

I am interested in Space...but my husband, kids, and granddaughter are REALLY interested in Space! Since my granddaughter was visiting, it was fun to think about doing some glow in the dark Space art to share with her and other children this past weekend. If you want to take your kids' art out of this world, try this with us. 

You will need scissors and glue and about 30 min. to do this project.

Grab your glow in the dark art supplies. If you don't have any, just grab any art supplies you have. Kids will still get to make a fun space picture, it just won't be glow in the dark. Not sure what I'm talking about? Read what glow in the dark art supplies I recommend here. Here's one more recommended by reader Debbie R: Elmer's Glow in the dark glue!

You'll also need a piece of black or purple paper and a piece of any other color of paper, plus some different sized circles to trace. I used a canning lid, a plastic tub, and a spray can lid. Use a variety of sizes--we are making planets! To ...

If you are looking for a fall art idea to do with your kids, here is one I love to do as often as I can. This pumpkin collage uses these simple materials:

• scrap paper
• scissors
• glue

These pumpkins will add a bright spot to your fall decorations and give your kids a fun activity to do! I used my pumpkin collage to decorate my windows. Since it's my husband's birthday, I wrote Happy Birthday on mine to wish him lots of love!

Collage is a great art activity to do with kids of all ages. The youngest ones love to simply cut and glue. As they get older, they can pay more attention to shape and detail. Watch the video, and feel free to let them improvise as they go. 

It's always an educational boost to pair reading with art, so grab this list I made for you listing ten of my favorite fall picture books. Your kids will enjoy looking at the different kinds of illustrations and photographs of pumpkins, and you'll enjoy reading these pumpkin picture books with them. Going to the pumpkin...