As parents, you know that creativity is important but may wonder how you can actively help nurture your child’s self-expression. Did you know that famous painter Georgia O’Keefe, best known for her dramatic paintings of gigantic flowers, nearly quit her artistic pursuits? Early in her career, O’Keefe became discouraged and decided to destroy her work because she felt that each piece was created to satisfy someone else’s style or idea of how her art should look, rather than her own. There is a lesson to be learned here: children need to be encouraged to create art in their own way and to explore their own creativity.

Parents, you may want to consider these tips to help your children to develop their own artistic style:

1. Provide lots of paper, paints, markers and other art supplies.
2. Translate interests into images by challenging your children to create art based upon what they love, such as animals, sports, nature, planets, friends and more.
3. Instead of asking a closed question like, “What is it?” Encourage open-ended conversation: “Tell me about your creation,” or “How did you do that?”
4. Encourage experimentation – what do you think will happen if you mix those colors?
5. Let your kids know they can and should express their emotions, feelings, fears, hopes and dreams through the visual arts.

Ask you child to sign and date the artwork or date it yourself – your child will LOVE looking at his/her early creations years from now. Also, please avoid making judgments. A child’s artwork should be a form of self-expression that has no right and wrong outcomes.

Art classes can also help nurture your child’s creativity. One of our Abrakadoodle parents wrote, “Carolina’s love for art is nurtured by Mrs. Claudia on a weekly basis. As artists know, it is a need not just a desire to create. I can see that growing in my daughter like it did for me as a child. Abrakadoodle has given her that opportunity.”

Given freedom and encouragement, we find that children begin to explore the arts and open up to new experiences. They discover what they like and what they don’t like. They also learn to appreciate their own uniqueness and that of others. They begin to make art in their own style, and that’s a very satisfying feeling.