Help! My child hates art!
This is Part 1 of a 4-Part Series designed just for you!
Read Part 2: 6 BEST Tips for Finding Time for Art with Kids :: Read Part 3: Why Pinterest is Killing Your Child’s Creativity (or 6 Time-Saving Tips for Coming Up with Creative Ideas) :: Read Part 4: How to Build Creative Habits
The adults have endless creative ideas and craft supplies and patience.
And the little ones? Well they are apparently the fabled children who came into this world coloring! It appears these kids sit and paint for hours, they finger knit and sculpt on the weekend, and their living room is Pinterest-perfect with beautiful hand crafted child-made art.
In short and above everything else, it’s clear these children love creating art.
And perhaps that’s what you’ve thought as you flip through the pages of our magazines or page through our blog posts. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret today – my child used to hate art.
Yep, I said it. She hated crafting. Had no interest in coloring. And there was a full on melt down if I so much as mentioned paint.
As a new mother and lifelong artist, I was shocked! And frustrated. (Very frustrated!)
I assumed that because I was creative, my children would naturally be creative as well. I had new-mother dreams of quietly crafting with my child as she grew, but all I was getting was screaming, some flying paint, and the terrible pervasive thought “My child hates art.”
We continued down this frustrating path of anti-art until one day I put the pieces together and learned the biggest lesson of all when it comes to children and crafting. This one lesson changed everything.
I learned how to determine my child’s crafting style.
By learning her crafting style, I’ve been able to bring art and creativity into our home in a very natural and stress-free way, because instead of working against her style, I’m now working with it! And she’s gone from hating art, to creating freely all on her own. It’s a dream creative life, even though it doesn’t look at all how I initially envisioned it (and my living room is surely not Pinterest-perfect!)
So how do you go about figuring out your child’s crafting style? Let me show you!
(Psst – read to the end and download your free assessment tool for determining your child’s crafting style. It won’t make sense without the information below, but in just a few quick questions, you’ll know what kind of crafting style your child has!)
It’s a combination of a few things:
- Your child’s age
- Your child’s development level
- Your child’s personality
- The way your child plays with their toys
- Other factors
Let me break these down a bit more…
Age
When it comes to concentration, expect your child to be able to focus intently for the amount of minutes they have in years. So a 1 year old will focus for 1 minute before moving on. A 5 year old for 5 minutes, and so on. This helps you manage your expectations and set a base line. This is NOT to say that your child won’t be able to concentrate for a longer period of time – that often has to do with your child’s development and how dynamic the project is.
Development
As I’m sure you know and have experienced since your child was a baby (those sleepless nights right before your child learns to crawl or talk, for example) children go through developmental spurts throughout childhood and well into young adulthood as their brain continues to grow. You know your child better than anyone – think about where they are developmentally. Are they young or advanced for their age? Children on the younger end will tend toward having a shorter attention span, while more advanced or older children should be able to engage for a longer period of time.
How They Play
Does your child like to play with one type of toy for a long period of time? Or do they tend to flit from one to to another, spending just a few minutes of time on each? Observing how your child plays is a great way to help figure out what their crafting style is. (Bonus point for finding a project that also engages your child’s interests – like this Lego Marble Maze & Lego man Parachute for the lego lovers in your life!)
Personality
This may be the BIGGEST factor as far as determining your child’s crafting style. Put simply, what is your child like? Are they fiercely independent? Are they more reserved? Do they follow directions willingly or challenge you every step of the way? Children who tend to be more complacent with your suggestions will have an easier time engaging in set projects that lead to a finished product. Children who are more independent do better with open-ended or process-based crafts so that they can take them whatever direction they’d like.
Other
If there are other, unique factors in your child’s life you will of course want to take these in to consideration. When it comes to art and crafts, children with sensory integration or processing issues especially can face unique challenges to creating. If your child has a strong negative reaction to textures like tempera paint you could instead choose to use paint dotters or paint brushes. On the other hand, some children may find the tactile nature of creating art particularly soothing.
So what kind of crafter is my child?
Well, when I took these 5 factors into account I was able to determine that I had a short block of time crafter who preferred process-based art. So that’s what we do! We do short projects that focus on the making, not the end product. It was fantastic, we nailed down the question of what to do – I learned to make things more simple, let my kiddo enjoy the crafting process with little input from me (beyond the basic “no painting on the walls…or your brother…”)
But doesn’t it always seem that once you have one thing figured out, another one pops up? I’m talking, of course, about finding the actual time to craft. Because it’s all very well and good that I know what kind of crafter my child is, but if we don’t have the time for creativity, it doesn’t really matter much, does it? How about you – in the activities, appointments, and rhythm of your day, do you have a tough go at finding the time to sit down and craft with your little ones? Well you’re in luck, that’s the exact question I’m going to take on in Part 2 of this series – I hope you join along!
One final thing…
To make it super easy for you to determine your child’s crafting style, we’ve put together this quick assessment tool. You can download your copy HERE.
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