Art Appreciation
Children learn not only from instruction and books, but also from every single object and experience they encounter. When children are encouraged to look at and think about classic art, their minds are put in contact with the ideas and worldviews of the masters of art throughout history. In fact, children are often more open to the emotive meaning of classical art than adults, because their worldview has not been tainted by disappointment and hurt. Here are some ways to encourage your child to appreciate classical art even more:
- Get postcard-sized copies of original art from artists such as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Let your child browse through the artworks and ask which are his or her favorites. Ask your kids why they like these particular paintings or sculptures more than the others.
- Author Laurence Anholt has a delightful series of picture books based on the lives of great artists. In his stories, he takes an event out of an artist’s life and weaves a fictional story around it. He has books about van Gogh, Monet and Picasso.
- Take your child on an outing to an art museum or art exhibition and give him or her enough time to look at the different paintings. You’ll be surprised by his or her observations later on.
- Get picture books with excellent illustrations from a variety of mediums—pastels, watercolor, pen and ink, pencil and acrylic. Read them aloud frequently and give your child opportunity to really observe each page. Talk about colors and shapes and the emotions on people’s faces.
- Give your child an opportunity to practice his or her own creativity by providing a variety of quality art materials to experiment with. Guide them how to use these materials, but let them express their own ideas on paper.
Appreciation of classical art helps lay a foundation for your kids’ education by influencing their worldview and perception of how the world works.
