Teaching Kids Art Through Picture Books

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...