Drawing Them In
Written By Ann P. Lewis
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An artist mom and recovering refrigerator curator tells how she learned to stand back and let her kids make art for art's sake.
An artist all my life, I had assumed that my passion for making a happy mess would lead to many hours of doing the same with my kids. No such luck.
Sure, the baby and toddler years were a piece of cake. Both kids started out curious and uninhibited and bold: Give them a crayon and they would draw forever. But when Freddy turned 3 (he's now 9), he began to make it clear he would rather be a horse cantering around the living room than draw one. He'd humor his pesky mother by dashing off a few strokes ("A stallion, Mom, running away!") before bucking headlong onto the couch.
Clara, on the other hand, continued to take to the art table, narrating her work like a chatty cartographer — a fiery red tangle of lines was the wind blowing her hair, the little black dot was the spot where she was standing when it stopped. But now, at 6, she's become deeply disappointed with the entire process. "Mommy," the baleful whine begins, "will you make a queen crown for me?" Then come the tears, and our easy play unravels into dramatic frustration.
What can I do to set the stage — or the kitchen table — for my kids to have a positive experience making art, now and for life? I've experimented a little. I've read a lot. And I've spoken with a few wise people: Ursula Kolbe, an Australian teacher, artist, and writer whose books about children and art I love; Laura Seftel, an art therapist who lectures across the country; and Cathy Topal, an instructor in visual arts education at Smith College.
From all of the information I've gathered, a few basic tenets have merged, which I'm starting to put to use with my kids.
1. Set Up for Success
Mood and preparation are everything. Provide your kids with a dedicated space, unhurried time, and good materials (just a few at a time, so you don't overwhelm them with choices).
Forget those cheapo anemic watercolor sets with the spindly brushes, which are just frustrating for kids. Instead buy (at a good art store, so you don't end up with counterfeit dreck) some tempera paints, nontoxic water-based felt-tip pens, oil pastels, and crayons. Older kids may work well with chalk, and fine felt-tip pens will let them be more precise in their drawing.
Continue to create inviting opportunities even if your child doesn't seem interested, in the same way you might offer new foods again and again until he bites.
2. Give Them a Jump Start
It's not enough to plop some markers on the table in front of your child and go off to make phone calls. Hang around. Offer suggestions for how to begin. (This is not the same as telling her what to make.) Place objects on the tabletop and invite her to draw from observation. Give her a mirror so she can do a self-portrait. Carve stamps from erasers or sponges so she can make prints (abstract shapes are best, so as not to limit creativity). Call on her current fascinations: worms, constitutional law, space travel. Maybe all she needs is a launching pad.
3. Use Your Words ... a Little
Your child is working away, and you feel an encouraging word coming on. Instead of the usual dead-end "Oh, that's beautiful; what is it?" try asking about specifics you see: "I notice a lot of red lines," or "You're really working hard making those circles." Or just keep watching. "Wait and see if a child wants a comment at all," says Kolbe. "Your interested face says more than words can ever say."
4. Keep Your Hands Off
Drawing for your child really doesn't do him any favors. It just sets up unrealistic goals — he'll want to do it just like you did. With a very young child, shift his focus away from you and onto his work: Talk texture, color, etc. If you're working with a child 3-ish or older, explain how to break down the thing he's drawing into recognizable shapes and lines. What is a queen's crown, after all, but triangles and a circle?
5. Don't Read Into It
A young child's dense black shapes don't necessarily indicate she's depressed. And she's not destined for prison just because she tears holes in her paper. Likewise, the fact that she draws flowers doesn't guarantee she'll want to join the Peace Corps. With younger children (hey, even with adults), meaning can change from one minute to the next. And as the saying goes, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Next page: What Kids Can Draw When, or From Scribbles to ... Better Scribbles
Plus: Browse the best art supplies for kids
