I know. You said you weren’t “creative.” You may not express your creativity through paint and clay, but creativity can take on many forms. It can manifest itself in new marketing strategies, chemistry experiments, the construction of a fence, or your special soup recipe. Whatever your profession or hobby, it is likely that you use some sort of creativity every day. Here are a few ways to facilitate an artistic child without being “artistic” yourself.
1) Be confident in front of your child.
Your child is looking to you for an example. If you want him/her to be confident in trying new things (like art), you need to do the same! If you would like to learn how to speak another language, let your child observe you. Allow him/her to watch you make mistakes. Show your child what it looks like to be resilient in the face of obstacles. Talk with him/her about different solutions to everyday problems. Your child will recognize that learning a new skill takes time and making mistakes is part of the process.
2) Take risks.
Being “artistic” is all about being confident and taking risks. I am not talking about risking health and safety, but I am talking about risking pride. Risk failure with the greater hope of discovering something new! Try adding an unlikely ingredient to a recipe. Wear your favorite sweater with something you have never worn before. Rearrange the furniture in your living room. It may look awful, but it may look great… You’ll never know until you try.
3) Problem-solve with your child.
We all run into unexpected situations everyday that require us to change our course of action. With your child, practice recognizing problems as opportunities for creativity, rather than as obstacles. For example, when you and your child come to a road closed for construction, think of it as a chance to see a new part of your neighborhood. Turn the experience into the exciting discovery of new houses and people. As your child develops problem-solving skills, he/she will become more resilient to frustration in all areas of life and naturally apply them to art-making.
4) Look with your child.
Take the time to look at unfamiliar objects with your child. Talk about what you see. Look at the objects again on multiple occasions and share new observations with each other. Explain to your child that we encounter things everyday that don’t make sense to us at first. It is important for us to visit and revisit whatever it is that we want to understand. Teach your child to spend time looking, analyzing, and drawing upon new information to make sense of something new, whether it is a map of a foreign city or a new toy. This same process can be applied to looking at art. The more we look, the more we understand.
5) Say, “I don’t know. Let’s figure it out together.”
Don’t make up answers to satiate your child’s curiosity. Use your child’s inquisitive nature to springboard a quick Internet search, a trip to the library, or a conversation with someone who can help you! If your child has seen you asking questions to find answers, he/she will be much more likely to do the same! There is no need for your child to feel like they have to figure out the whole art thing alone. Take the opportunity to learn together.
Raising an artistic child when you aren’t artistic doesn’t need to be a daunting task! Even if you aren’t artistic, your can teach your child valuable life skills that will naturally leak into every aspect of his/her life—including art-making. There are many other resources available to help you feel capable in your quest to becoming a fantastic art facilitator. Below I’ve listed a few books that have me most helpful to me. Best of luck!
Suggested Reading
Barbe-Gall, Francoise. How to Talk to Children About Art. London, England: Chicago Review Press, Inc., 2005.
Einon, Dorothy. Creative Child: Recognize and Stimulate Your Child’s Natural Talent. London, England: Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., 2002.
Warner, Sally. Encouraging the Artist in Your Child (Even If You Can’t Draw): 101 Failure-proof home-tested projects for kids age 2-10. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989.
