Art Ideas for Kids

Need some art ideas for kids? Here's a list to get your child started:

Submit your child's artwork to your local newspaper or a magazine. Highlights Magazine for Children, for example, has a page where they publish poems and artwork.

Some other art projects can be centered around the holidays. Organize a Christmas club, where four to five students meet once or twice a month to work on Christmas gifts, such as paintings, ceramics, or other crafts.

Set aside time with your children for creating home-made decorations. As a community service project, you could make extra to take to a local nursing home or assisted living center. There are lots of craft ideas in magazines or online. Two of my favorite sites are Crayola.com and Family Fun.com.

Give older children the responsibility of planning a birthday party for a younger sibling. Show them how to organize the party around a theme, such as the jungle, the beach, or the zoo, and let them create the decorations to go with it.

Ask your church to let your children help decorate the nursery or Sunday School classrooms next time they need a change. Many teachers would welcome the extra hands.

Have your child research two famous artists, such as Monet and van Gogh. Then have them draw any picture they choose, drawing it once in the style of the first artist, then in the style of the second.

Visit your local art museum. Note the artists represented and research them in the library.

Check out your local library for drawing, painting, and craft books. There are a lot of books out there for children!

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