Parenting at the moment is on a rollercoaster due to the Pandemic effect. To engage children is a challenge!!
Art in any form is soothing and gives a direction to huge energy within. Art in the form of drawing, painting is one such tool to connect in times of social distancing. It would immensely help with the very idea of connecting to self and everything or everyone around in imagination without restrictions and constraints. Who can stop anyone from imagining and drawing or painting a crowded street, sky and space, parks and jungle, sunset and sun sunrise, your feeling and thoughts?
Isn’t it great and a feel-good aspect to know you still have control of your movement of thoughts and to express in Art? Go ahead and feel the freedom within by expressing it in your colors. Paint your way out !
So what does Art mean to you? For children every art is an exploration when it is original as they find different ways to express their ideas and imagination. Their thinking abilities are triggered as they paint a masterpiece every day that comes with a lot of planning ,thinking and executing. We just need to flow with the child’s lead.
Creativity is not a linear process that you learn certain soft or hard skills to start with, rather creativity guides and adapts certain skills in the process of discovering. So one needs to understand and allow the child to enjoy the process rather than give a sheet of objects to color. Young children might start with scribbling, dabbling and move on to lines, circles, shapes and then to a deeper expression and choice of what they feel or see around. Let them be given opportunities to expand.
An Environment plays a vital role, so provide an artspace with pencils, crayons, paints, sheets and see the magic! Art involves exploring the Elements of Nature and sensory stimulation which again allows the developmental stages to work efficiently. These early years determine their personalities which, their neural connections wire up and to stay connected, it’s a perfect simulation. Brain development in the early years is at its millions of cells speeding up to form a being. Art lets it evolve better!
So do share your Artspace Exploration and Art work of your child along with your experience of it , but what’s our role as a parent while the child is exploring? Just draw, paint yourself, or let us be shuuu silent, please!
Wishing you lots of Colorful Exploration, Stay in touch for more workshops on Creative Art for children and other Parenting challenges .
Write to ispartofparenting@gmail.com.
Until then Dabble Dabble !!!!
Srujana.C
Parenting coach/Counsellor/ Prenatal Trainer