Teaching Kids Art Through Picture Books

How in the world do you get your kids excited about learning? I know a secret to doing this! I got interested in history when I started reading aloud to my kids when I was teaching them. What was the difference between reading paragraphs from a textbook and reading real stories from picture and chapter books? Quite simply, reading stories aloud. People and their stories are captivating when told in a well written book. Suddenly, history came to life with the fascinating, wonderful, and terrible adventures of people throughout the ages. I was hooked. When teaching my kids at home, I could see the benefits of reading aloud because of the way my own children were soaking up and remembering the stories--and often begging for more time reading.

Reading aloud can integrate so well with several areas of learning at once, even when you aren’t consciously trying to teach anything beyond enjoying a good story. Language arts is all about reading, writing, talking, and listening. Think of how you...

Want to develop deeper bonds with your kids? Sometimes art can be a great springboard to conversation and a better understanding between parents and children, or to help build the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.

Last week I had the privilege of one-on-one time with a Storygalorey friend whose grandma purchased a private art lesson for him. He was visiting from another area of the world, and one way they've connected is through Drawing for Kids online art and stories. What a wonderful time we had! It was fun to get to know him and his story a little bit. It was amazing to watch this child enjoy art plus special attention from his mom and grandma. It was a special art date with them.

As our kids were growing up, we tried to take them on dates on a fairly regular basis to give them individual attention. Back then, I wish I'd thought of taking them on a creativity date instead of the expedient McDonalds! We wanted them to feel seen and to know they were loved in our ...

It was the very first summer of Storygalorey. I was nervous, but as I opened the front door, I was greeted by a smiling friend who had kindly supported me by bringing her daughter. I relaxed and took a deep breath. Nothing to be anxious about here! I glanced at her T-shirt and quickly took in the words printed on them. It was a shirt from her church, and it read: 

Every name has a story. Every story matters to God.  

Those words grabbed me. "Wow!" I thought, "that's kind of what was in the back of my mind with starting this new business. Stories, art, loving people, pointing to God..."

All I said out loud was, "I love your shirt!" 

Imagine how I felt when she came to Storygalorey the next time, thrusting a small grey bundle of fabric into my hands. "It's the T-shirt you liked! I had an extra!" I felt so loved and seen. That feeling--of someone seeing you and recognizing you in the moment, is exactly the message the shirt meant to convey, and she had acted it out. 

Every name has a...