Kids' Art — by Guest Mom Allysha

My daughter. . .

We do a lot of drawing at our house. I don't think a day goes by that the kitchen table isn't covered in paper, pens, pencils, crayons, and markers. Despite the cluttered aura of my table, I really enjoy seeing what my kids come up with as they experiment with different ideas.

I have this idea that I want my kids to be able to come to a blank piece of paper unfettered by any sort of convention. They will get more technical instructions as they start school, which is fine. But I want them to learn to trust their own artistic instincts first. And so I buy paper by the box (hooray, Costco) and let them go at it.


. . . and her art.

Here are a few basic tips I use for managing my kids' art:

~ I have plastic containers for crayons and markers. It's much easier to get everything cleaned up when they don't have to be placed row-by-row into a box.

~ Maybe twice a year I sort through my stash to find the markers that don't work and the crayons that are too small, and replace them. Back-to-school sales are a prime time to stock up. And you can recycle those too-small crayons. Gabby posted about it here.

~ For painting I usually have my kids stick with watercolors, although I do have some cheap acrylic paints they can use once in awhile. If I'm feeling extravagant, I buy little canvas boards for them to paint on.

~ We use slightly over-sized t-shirts as smocks — easy on, easy off, easy to throw them in the wash (There. Did you like that little rhyme?)

~I also always use a flat-bottomed mug or bowl for their rinsing water because it helps prevent spills.

~ I like to have some heavier paper on hand for painting (some card stock or actual watercolor paper cut into smaller sheets) and some colored craft paper for special projects.

~ And of course, have a place to display the art work! A bulletin board works great. And the fridge is always an option!

~ Also, be reasonable. Don't even attempt to save everything. Though it's tempting when your child's unique way of looking at the world begins to emerge. But unless you plan to a) only let your children paint masterpieces or b) wallpaper your kitchen in 8.5 x 11 paper drawings, then throw most of it away.

~ I have a file folder for each child where I keep their very best stuff, and they each have a place in their room for the drawings they want to keep. But most of it either gets tossed or gets re-used (we try to draw on both sides of the paper).

But really, you don't need anything fancy at all in order for your kids to create their own art. My girls have spent countless hours drawing to their hearts content with a simple spiral notebook and a pen or pencil.