By The Upstairs Gallery

There are loads of galleries out there that welcome children and we are one of the them. Exposing kids to art from an early age is so important!

It teaches them to think openly and helps their wee brains to grow. They further develop their senses, social skills and even fine motor skills when doing creative activities such as learning to hold a paint brush or crayon for example.

Give a child the opportunity to explore, express themselves and think logically and they will thrive. They develop self-esteem, imagination and their creativity.

What are your favourite ways to encourage early art and creativity?

Here are some ways you can encourage art appreciation in your children.

• Have a selection of art and crafts on hand. Think washable paints, markers, crayons, paint brushes, modelling clay, construction paper, glue, cereal boxes, paper towel tubes, sponges, chalk, paper plates, scrap paper to name a few and let them go to town!

• Talk to them. Encourage them to talk about what they can see and feel - i.e. textures in leaves, patterns in bark, shadows or the way something catches the light.

• Provide opportunities in everyday things. Consider saving your old camera for them to play with, use different shaped and textured leaves to paint with, keep old cereal boxes for crafts or write a poem about your favourite part of the day.

• Show them you’re interested. Encourage your child to explore their creation with open-ended comments such as, “Tell me about your painting.”

• Read Wordless Picture Books. Let them explore, imagine and interpret stories and emotion without the use of words to guide them. Let them make up their own stories.

• Visit Art Galleries and Exhibitions. Looking at other work helps develop an appreciation for the visual aspects of art. Children learn emotional, verbal and social skills from their outings and all about shapes, textures, and dimensions.

• Encourage critical thinking by asking them questions. Things like, ‘why do you think the artist chose these colours?’, ‘what do you think they were thinking about when they took this photograph’.

• Get involved. Sign up for their mailing lists and keep an eye out for community events and opportunities for children to get involved in their art communities.