Two Easy Creative Art Lessons for Kids (that require zero artistic ability)
Parents, you’re about to thank me…
What to Do With All Your Kids’ Artwork (Without Guilt or Clutter)
Not everything your child creates needs to be saved.
Recently, another mom asked me how I store all of my kids’ artwork, and I answered honestly: “The trash can.” Cue the collective gasp.
Okay — that’s not entirely true. Some pieces are proudly displayed, and a few meaningful favorites live in special folders. But the reality is that about 75% of what my children make eventually gets thrown away. And surprisingly, I believe this is one of the most important creative lessons we can teach our kids — one that helps them become confident creators instead of perfectionists afraid to try.
Because the goal of creativity isn’t to produce masterpieces.
It’s to learn how to create freely.
Lesson #1: Not all art is worth keeping…and that’s how it should be
Not everything they make is or will be great. Not everything they make is worth keeping. And that’s exactly how it should be. This principle doesn’t change as you get older. About 75% of what I make—a “professional artist”—gets covered up or tossed out (actually I hardly ever toss a canvas, but you get the idea). Because not everything I make is great or worth keeping. The pressure of that would be crushing. I can’t tell you what a gift it will be to your children to assure them that the goal of creation is NOT for them to create a masterpiece every single time. This sets them free to make bad art, and be totally okay with that. Expectant of it, in fact. As toddlers you may not see this expectation creeping up yet, you may just see them clinging to what they create. However, I can guarantee with time this pressure of “this must be worth keeping and holding onto” will mount and disappointment/lack of joy in creating will creep in as they make something they don’t love, and can notice what they’re making isn’t awesome.
The truth is, great artists create bad art…often. In fact, great artists can identify bad art. Helping your child learn and identify some of their better work versus some of their not as great work will set them up to be strong artists and creators, and will allow for room in creating simply because they love to create…not because they love to produce. The sooner you can get your child more interested in the process rather than the product, the sooner you can set them free.
Process > Production
Ask any artist—shoot—ask any human, and they will tell you how hard it is to relish the process or the journey over the end product. We live in a culture and society that honors production over process every. Single. time. The consistent message your child will inevitably hear…just by being human…is that production trumps process. Giving them the messaging at a young age that the process is where the magic happens will take the pressure off of performance, perfection, and production. It will put the emphasis on creativity for creativity’s sake.
How does this practically play out? Eventually, when our little art shelf is busting at the seams, I sit down with my kids and let them keep 5-10 of their favorite things (if they don’t pick something that I personally really love, I will keep that for my own little stash). All the rest gets tossed, and I tell them that. I’m clear that we don’t expect everything we make to be worth keeping forever, that it’s good to identify our BEST work, and identify our work that’s…not as great. Sometimes we’ll talk about what makes certain work really special, but they’re still a bit young for that…just attention spans alone. I imagine more in depth conversations about this as they get older.
You know your child and the moment you’re in. If you think your child can handle tossing it themselves, I’d suggest it. It’s helpful to take ownership of this process. If you think they aren’t quite there, you can just have them make a pile that you take care of later. Maybe as they learn this lesson they’ll become more comfortable with getting rid of it themselves.
Disclaimer: please DO praise your child’s art. Please DO hang up some of their best pieces. Please DO acknowledge them as they create and give specific praise. While it’s a gift to set them free of the expectation that everything they create needs to be worthy of hanging and keeping…we also want to make sure they don’t feel as if NOTHING they create is worth keeping, hanging, and displaying.
Perhaps a good part two of this would be talking about specifics of what you can look for that would make a piece “better” or stronger artistically. Specific praise IS important. Because no, the drawing that looks most like a flower (or fill in the objective blank) may not actually be the best piece artistically. That’s a key lesson for another day. I can’t tell you how many students I’ve taught that claim they’re “horrible artists” because they can’t draw realistically. I’m about to set some of YOU free from the knowledge that your strength (and your child’s strength) as an artist has absolutely NOTHING to do with you being able to draw realistically. FUN FACT - several of those students claiming to be “horrible artists” have since gone on to pursue full time employment in the arts. Some are working with famous fashion designers, some making 6-figures off their own art, and some are designing some of the top interiors in the world. They were average at best at drawing.
Lesson #2: Good things take time
Something I’ve recently been working on with my kids is bigger projects that span days, up to a week. I’ve grown a little weary of the 15 princess coloring pages in a 20 minute time span. Of course, there’s space for this, but I sense my kids growing weary of this as well. So, I’m starting to teach them that good things take time, that one really great thing is often better than 15 2-minute things. Again, I’m a fan of the “100 drawings in a week” exercise for artists too, so I’m not saying to eliminate these smaller, quicker endeavors, but this tends to come naturally for a child. What is a little harder, is working on one thing for an extended period of time. So, here’s how I do it. (There are a lot of fun aspects to this lesson)
Have them work BIG
Get a LARGE surface. Working big takes practice, and by default we very rarely ask kids (through high school) to work large. When I was in school for art education, I asked one of my professors what was one main thing I should be focusing on with my students in my first job out of school. Their only answer: “have them work big”. Working big early and often takes away the blank canvas scaries, and instills inherent confidence in creating. So, for starters I get my kids large surfaces—sometimes canvases—but more recently, canvas paper. You can get a super large roll of it and it will last forever, and it can still handle the beating a toddler will put it through.
I personally recommend taping the sides down with painters tape or masking tape to create a clean white border around their work when they’re finished. It creates a “finished” look to otherwise abstract pieces. The last time I did this, I taped the pieces directly on our dining room floor and we were stepping over them for about 5 days. Today, I taped the pieces to larger surfaces that can be moved around.
Use many many different mediums
Each day they work on the piece, my kids are using a different medium. This draws out the length of time the project will take. If you’re giving them the same paint every day, they will lose momentum and start to lack new ideas of how to use the medium. When you switch it up every day, their brain is triggered to want to use it in a new way. The last time I did this I did this sequence of mediums: paint sticks, paint with brushes, colored pencils, oil pastels, and pastels. It takes a bit of understanding to know what to start with. I wouldn’t have started with oil pastels or pastels because they inevitably would be overtaken by paint at the end. I started with paint sticks because I started on a day I wanted to be a bit more hands off…and paint with paint brushes is never hands off when it involves three toddlers.
Other mediums I’ve worked in on this project before: collage, watercolors, pen, stamps, and found objects.
A few “rules”
No starting over. Sorry, figure out how to fix what you don’t like by changing it or going over it. That’s part of art making: messing up and figuring out how to problem solve still making it work.
No white space. Simply because they are toddlers and the goal is longevity in the creation of one piece of art, this is a necessary “rule” at our house. There are many times they’re creating where I don’t have anything to say about white space, but for these projects—filling the space is necessary. I’m sure when they’re older we’ll have conversations about the proper use of white space, but for now…this is how it goes.
No focusing on anyone else’s art. Share time is later. The first time we did this, Mila spent the entire first day peppering Izzy with suggestions, questions, feedback, etc. (eldest daughter anyone?). Creating time is time spent only focused on YOUR art.
You CAN and SHOULD move your body. Working big, while having the rule of no white space kind of forces a little toddler to move around their work and reposition as needed. We like this, and this is intentional. (Another topic for another day)
PARENT RULE: Hi, be quiet and like…go away. Other than “Jovie, we don’t eat paint”, I am giving no input or commentary and I’m often trying to be physically somewhat removed from the space (I am definitely around and keeping an eye on things, but I set them up in a way where I don’t have to be in the same room as them). Of course if a child shows me something they’re loving about their piece I will acknowledge and talk about it. But there is no: “oh, what’s that,” “have you thought about doing…”, “what about this or that,” “how about you do…” I pretty much hang wayyyyyyy back. I am definitely not peering over their shoulders. Now, if you have a younger child like mine who is still only 2 and yes, eating paint, I give the illusion of freedom while remaining very tuned in.
Do this, and watch pride for making and creating swell in your little kids heart
The pride my kids feel about these projects is worth it every time. It starts to solidify in their brains via feelings feedback that good things, do indeed take time. Because while they may be momentarily proud of a picture they drew in 2 minutes, they certainly aren’t showing it to people who walk in the door for weeks or months to come.
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