With Christmas coming up soon, it’s a great time for moms to work on DIY projects with their homeschoolers. We shouldn’t get so caught up in teaching our children the alphabet and math that we forget about art. Encouraging kids to be creative and artistic is something all parents should be doing.
Not very artistic yourself? It’s no problem. There are still a lot of fun, easy ways you can help your kids develop their own artistic talent.
Here are some ways you can help your child work on his or her creativity in the coming weeks:
Nativity coloring – Print out some nativity coloring pages from sites like Bible Printables and Crayola.com. This can be a fun activity for younger children. It’s a great way to help them learn the meaning of Christmas and to work on their creative side.
Creating gifts – The possibilities are endless. Every year, I give my kids a list of ideas and let them decide on which fun gifts they want to make. Homemade jewelry is always a fun project for girls. For boys, there are fun activities like mini clay bowls and bottle cap magnets. If there are a lot of people to make gifts for, you might want to get this project started ASAP.
Incorporate art lessons in holiday decorating – Don’t just have your child help put up the same ole’ generic decorations. Encourage him or her to be creative. Which light color scheme will look the best? Will gold or silver picture frames look better on the fireplace? Would a white tree or green tree complement the surrounding decor better? HGTV offers a color wheel primer to help you get started. It’s okay if younger kids go overboard with decorations – the whole point is to let them be creative and to have fun.
Don’t forget about digital art – Even if you don’t know much about Photoshop or any other digital art software, you will find plenty of useful tutorials for you and your child both. It’s something mommies and kiddies can learn together. I didn’t even know how to edit a photo, let alone do digital drawing, but I watched some YouTube videos, looked over some beginner’s guides, and just experimented. You don’t have to spend a fortune on software – just use good ole’ Microsoft Paint. Practice drawing a Christmas tree or Santa with a paint program. Or learn how to edit a family photo. You could also use digital art programs to create Christmas cards.
Making and writing cards – Speaking of which, creating Christmas cards is a great way to combine art and writing lessons. Whether you make the cards digitally or the old fashioned way, with markers or paint and crafting paper, you can encourage your child to come up with a design and write a message. Personalizing the cards helps kids with their spelling as well.
Some of these art projects are better for younger kids and some for older kids. Whichever project you pick, make sure it’s something your child will enjoy doing. Take note of what he or she is good at, whether it’s coloring, painting, photoshopping, coming up with a color scheme, etc… and help him or her further develop those strong points in the future.
Guest post by Sam Jones, a digital marketing expert, social media and branding consultant and guest blogger for various publications, including Business2Community, Inbound.org and EZSiteBuilders. In her free time, Sam is an avid traveler, foodie and lover of all things technology. She’s also a fitness fanatic (in the making).
