The Magic of Creative Discovery
Sharing the Joy of Art with Your Tot

by Julie Liddle, M.A., ATR

Art time can be one of the most rewarding ways for parents to engage with their toddlers and preschoolers. Yet for many adults, inhibitions about their own artistic abilities coupled with the prospect of paint splattered walls and glue soaked carpets, deter them from taking the leap and deprive them--and their children--of a rich opportunity for creative growth, genuine connection and great fun. However, armed with the appropriate expectations, preparation and materials, even the most art-shy among you can experience the magic of creative discovery through art with your little ones as soon as they are old enough to hold themselves upright and grasp a chubby brush or marker (without eating it)!

Set Age-Appropriate Expectations

This first crucial step in making the art process a positive one for you and your tot requires just a bit of background information for perspective. It is important to understand the very basic fact that, for toddlers and preschoolers, art is an essential and very natural form of communication and self-expression that has nothing to do with creating something decorative or aesthetically pleasing. When we attribute these qualities to our young children's creations, we are focusing on what is important to us rather than what is important to them. For young children, art is a very sensory, kinesthetic (movement-based) and expressive outlet that also provides many opportunities for learning and language development. They see cause and effect, engage in problem solving, hone fine-motor skills, learn and say names for colors, shapes and textures, and are motivated to tell others about the process and/or content of their artwork. In addition, older toddlers and preschoolers will start to show intent and recognizable representation in their artwork as a reflection of their cognitive and fine-motor development. But process, rather than product, remains the focus, and the sensory pleasure children derive from it is pure and simple.

With this in mind, choose materials and experiences that maximize opportunities for open-ended exploration of a range of concepts, textures and possibilities. You should not have a predetermined image in mind of what the end result will look like. The essence of your goal in guiding your child's artistic expression at this stage is to understand that art is the vehicle but not necessarily the destination. In other words, through this very natural process of working and playing with art materials, children will imagine, express, learn and grow in a multitude of ways. However, your focus need not and should not be on grooming your child to be an artist per se. Rather than focusing on creating a master work of art, think about providing great art experiences that will support your little one in developing into a great person who can think creatively and navigate confidently through many areas of her life. This takes the pressure off you if you are like the majority of grown-ups out there who are not very confident in their own artistic abilities. You can help your child master certain basic skills, like marking on paper with paint or drawing materials, gluing, tearing and cutting, but there will be plenty of time later, when it is developmentally appropriate to do so, for your child to learn artistic technique and aesthetic appreciation.

In many cases your child will take the lead in exploring with the materials. However, if she is hesitant to try something new, you can gently model open-ended exploration with that medium, but respect her wish not to do it if she is adamant - and don't force the issue. Revisit the materials periodically, but remember to be patient and respect where your child is developmentally and emotionally. While you might be eager to see those first scribble marks on paper, your child may be more interested in removing and replacing the marker caps for the time being. Lastly, do what you can to avoid the most common parent trap of all when it comes to doing art with your kids: Avoid drawing representational doodles or pictures for your child or you will set yourself up for continuing requests of “You do it!" and inadvertently undermine her confidence by setting an example that she cannot possibly emulate at her stage of development.

Set the Stage for Success

Have a designated space for art making. Any flat surface where your child can sit or stand comfortably and reach the materials is fine. Easels work well for some activities, but consider whether or not you want your child to experience the effects of dripping and gravity. This may be desirable for some art activities and frustrating for others, so plan accordingly. Protect your work surface and floor from inevitable splatters and spills with a vinyl shower curtain or old bed sheet, which can easily be tossed in the wash between uses. Make sure to always choose art media labeled washable and nontoxic and designed for use by young children.

To prevent undue exasperation (in either of you), clear the area of toys, papers and other items of personal importance. This will help you join with your child in her exploration rather than keep you in referee mode where you feel anxious and your child feels inhibited. Likewise, both you and your little artist should dress for mess. Less is more; often a big shirt or smock over a toddler's clothes hinders movement and drags through wet paint more than her regularly fitting clothes would anyway. Just let her wear something comfortable and washable, and the same goes for you, so you can easily sit at her level and welcome the eager touch of her gooey little hand. If it's warm enough and your child is very young, you may want to strip her down to her diapers for art time. Better yet, when the weather allows, take art time outdoors, and you can literally hose everyone and everything down when you are finished.

The bottom line: Do whatever you need to do to minimize your stress about making a mess. The process of working with many art materials is inherently messy. While you will want to set clear boundaries about the safe and appropriate use of the materials and tools, you do not want to convey to your young child that she is misbehaving when she explores messily with materials. She is making exciting discoveries about the properties of the materials and the effects of her actions when she touches, smears, splatters and sometimes even spills them.

Finally, make sure the mood is right. Engaging in the art process with your little one takes energy and enthusiasm, so consider your frame of mind before getting started, then consider your child's. If she is tired and cranky, she may be easily frustrated. However, for some, the art process can be very calming. You know your child best. Follow her cues, and have fun!

Provide a Range of Appropriate Materials

Basic art materials to have on hand include washable paints (liquid temperas and liquid watercolors in red, yellow, blue, black and white) and a range of applicators, such as chubby brushes, rollers and sponge-tipped applicators; a variety of drawing materials, such as washable markers, chubby crayons and oil pastels; washable glue sticks and white school glue for various collage and mixed media construction needs; playdough (ideally homemade) for fine-motor muscle development and imaginative play; and of course paper in a variety of sizes, colors and textures. Err on the side of simplicity. You needn't own every paint color in the rainbow, as they can all be attained through mixing those that I have listed, and the magic of discovering this phenomenon is one of the many joys of painting. Likewise, try to avoid the temptation to jazz up your art supply collection with lots of glittery or gimmicky materials. These seem to imply that the qualities inherent in genuine art media are somehow not sufficient. Anyone who has had the pleasure of observing toddlers delighting in the opportunity to paint with those basic, bright, creamy, pure primary colors will tell you differently. Be confident that if they don't know the glitz is out there, they won't crave it.

A collage box is another great source of creative inspiration. Simply fill a shoe box or plastic bin with odds and ends, such as bits of gift wrap, ribbon, yarn, fabric and magazines or catalogs for cutting or tearing. Here is your opportunity to throw in a little sparkle. Include fabrics and papers with a range of textures and surfaces, such as foil, satin, bubble wrap, even sandpaper. Most children really respond to working three-dimensionally, so don't forget about the possibilities for wood scraps, buttons, seashells, feathers, toilet paper rolls cut to various sizes and other items you might find around the house. 3-D objects can be glued on a piece of cardboard with white school glue. Treasures found in nature are a wonderful addition to any such art project and are a great way to reinforce observations and experiences from your little ones' daily lives and the world around them.

Beyond these basics, the possibilities are limited only by your and your child's imaginations - and safety constraints; always be mindful that many children under the age of 3 still have a tendency to put small objects in their mouths, so save the buttons and smaller seashells for your older preschoolers. Think outside the box - toddlers and preschoolers are great teachers of this skill, as they inevitably come up with innovative, never-before-thought-of-by-their-parents approaches to using the art materials that you provide for them, so don't be afraid to follow their lead.

Make the Most of the Experience

Just when you think your child's interest in a project is starting to wane, think about ways to extend the experience. For example, after your child has been painting for a while with a paintbrush, offer a different implement, such as a roller for applying paint, or let your child explore what happens if she runs her toy car through the paint to make wheel tracks. Alternatively, offer torn or cut scraps of tissue paper that your child can stick in the wet paint, creating a colorful, layered, mixed media effect. Another time, you might offer her salt to sprinkle on or spread into her painting, or try painting on tin foil or corrugated cardboard instead of plain paper. In each of these examples, the texture is fascinating to the touch, and it will have an interesting visual effect as well.

Ultimately, you are on the right track when you begin to realize that there is no right or wrong end result to your child's art process, and you introduce materials in an open-ended fashion that does not anticipate a certain prescribed end product that looks a certain way. In some cases, the process of making is all that is important, and no end product results. The experience of exploring with the materials and feeling and seeing what happens is where your child learns, grows and finds satisfaction. You let her know that you value what she is doing, by noticing and commenting on the process. Try to comment on what you see in descriptive terms rather than evaluative terms. Creative expression should be gratifying in its own right and not turn into an activity completed in order to please the grown-ups! Noticing what she has done implicitly shows that you value it. This also helps build her vocabulary and conceptualization of what is happening. Descriptive commentary might sound like this:

You are using your whole arm to make those swishy strokes with the paint!

You seem to like the way the sticky glue feels on your fingers.

You are working very carefully to put all the pieces of pasta in a row.

It kind of sounds like rain when you drop the colored rice from one container into the other.

You are filling the page with so many colors!

Look, you made a circle.

You found lots of shiny pieces to put on your collage. The whole page seems to shine.

What happened when your blue paint mixed with your red paint? It made a new color!

For children drawing or painting with intent: Tell me about your drawing? Or is there a story that goes with this painting?

Comments such as these are far more meaningful to your child and will do more to encourage her creativity and overall confidence than frequent praise of her artwork in the form of “Great job!" or “That's beautiful!" It takes a bit of practice, but just remember, your little one does not enter into an art activity even thinking about making something beautiful! Her goal is simply to explore, feel, learn, touch, smell, see and discover what happens when she manipulates the various media and tools you introduce to her. She will learn much about her world and her own ability to affect that world through such experiences. And she will gain feelings of mastery and self-confidence, build her vocabulary and social skills and have a great time doing it.

So take advantage of the opportunity to connect with your child through art. You will witness some special moments of discovery and accomplishment and, hopefully, share with her the pleasure of dabbling unselfconsciously in the simple joys of color, texture and sensation that we grown-ups too often take for granted.

Julie Liddle is a registered art therapist whose parent/child art program, ART IN HAND, provides developmentally appropriate, process-oriented art classes for toddlers and preschoolers at various Northern Virginia locations. She is also the mother of two boys, ages 8 and 5, who have taught her volumes about the uniqueness of each child's creative spirit. For more information, visit her website at www.artinhand.org.