Why Choose Art?

"More than ever before, children need art skills," says Dr. Karen Cole, coauthor of Increasing Student Learning with Multimedia Projects and owner of BigLearning.com, "both for creative expression and for success in almost any profession. We live in a visually oriented, multimedia world, and people expect attractively designed presentations and clearly illustrated ideas."

When children choose and design an art project, says Katherine Rizzo, art teacher at Christ Episcopal School, it helps them think independently. "They begin to learn that they can problem solve and come up with ideas on their own."

A good art education encompasses music, dance, theater, visual and literary arts, according to Nancy Petrisko, executive director of the BlackRock Center for Arts. An education in the arts, she says, will improve your child's powers of observation. Children are "taught to really look at things, to notice things both visually and aurally."

Carol Wilson, docent coordinator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, agrees. "Teaching them to learn to look is the first step," she says. Kids get overloaded with images from television, computers and video games. Experiencing art gives children a chance to slow down and focus on one thing exclusively.

The Benefits of Art Education

Petrisko says the arts provide a great place for kids to be accepted. "You can't be wrong in the arts. You can be technically less skilled, but not wrong." This is especially important, she adds, for kids who don't excel in school or sports.

Studying theater is great, Petrisko says, because it provides an opportunity for kids of all ages to work in groups, learn to negotiate, encourage one another and build teamwork. In art classes, "You can excel side-by-side with other people, but it doesn't feel like a competition." Dance and creative movement can lead to improved coordination and balance, increased self-awareness and greater self-confidence.

Chuck Benjamin, director of public relations and marketing at BlackRock, feels that a good arts background sets the tone for a good quality of life. "People involved in the arts tend to, in my experience, be a little more open-minded."

Rizzo echoes this sentiment. "I really believe that children with early art education tend to see the world in a more open way. It is not all about grades … it becomes more about seeing and learning and doing."

Benjamin feels that enrichment in the arts increases tolerance and acceptance of diversity. Petrisko says, "Sooner or later, when you study the arts, you cross over into different cultures."

Art Is for Everyone

Can any child become an artist? Rizzo says, "Yes. What the child should understand is that anyone can be an artist and that anything around them can become inspiration."

"In our culture," says Cole, "We make the mistake of judging children's art ability in terms of raw talent, as if kids are either born artistic or destined for a lifetime of drawing stick figures. In truth, though, almost anyone can become artistically competent with a little training. We're doing our children a disservice if we only teach the ones who can already draw."

Encourage Your Child

How can parents encourage their child in the arts? Petrisko says you should take advantage of what is offered at school. Give as much excitement about art and music as you would about math, since your children will take their cues about what is important from you.

"Stay positive, and make it fun," says Benjamin. He recommends letting your children talk about their art. "They own it. It comes from them." By letting his own children explore their interests, Benjamin discovered that he has one child who likes to perform puppet shows and another who loves to dance.

Bringing the Arts Home

• Make art a daily experience. Parents can cultivate an interest in art, Petrisko says. Have a variety of music and books available, and encourage your children when they draw or play music. "In all aspects," she says, "keep the arts alive every day." Rizzo recommends that parents set aside a special time for art. "Make time with your children outside of school on a regular basis to work on a project together."

• Share the arts with your child. Petrisko points out that even if you don't think you are artistic, there are many things that you can do with your child to nurture her inner artist. Take in a performance, listen to music, join a class, tour a museum or just sit and sketch together. "Let your kids see you doing things that you enjoy and they might want to join in," Benjamin adds.

• Expect your child to experiment. "Nurture the idea of artistic exploration," says Wilson. Your child will probably try a number of things before she finds a favorite activity. And, as Rizzo points out, once they find something they like, they will want to keep experimenting with it. Petrisko gives the example that many famous musicians tried numerous musical styles before finding the right fit. All of this experimentation was the foundation for their later success. Petrisko witnessed a similar phenomenon with her own son, who disliked piano lessons but now enjoys playing the clarinet.

• Don't force your own interests on your children. You might like Impressionist painting, but your child prefers to draw manga (Japanese comics). Or you might want your daughter to be a ballerina, but she wants to study urban funk and hip hop. Petrisko says that you shouldn't have a preconceived notion of what the arts should be like in your child's life. Let her explore and find her own interests. Wilson agrees. "Let them experiment. With art, there's no wrong answer in terms of looking or interpreting."

• Focus on the experience, not the supplies. When working in the visual arts, it is easy to get distracted with buying materials. Don't overwhelm your child with art supplies, says Cole. You don't have to buy anything special to start a craft project. "One day you might collect some odd-shaped sticks and rocks together and make them into whatever they remind your child of. Another day, you might make a collage with a box of old greeting cards."

• Don't expect perfection. Some kids feel pressured to create a masterpiece when asked to paint or draw, says Cole. She suggests that parents support artistic thinking in other ways. "Encourage your kids to create pretty or unusual place-settings for the dinner table or play with patterns of color when building with Legos. They can make designs of footprints on a muddy field or create funny hairstyles with shampoo-filled hair. These expressions of creativity can be every bit as artistic as drawing and painting."

Collaborative drawing. Cole suggests that parent and child take turns drawing something together. "If we are drawing the child's teddy bear, for example, I might start by outlining the face, and the child might try drawing the eyes. The key is, I talk about what I'm doing and noticing as I draw my part. For example, I might say, ‘I notice the ears are almost circles, and you can only see the pink part on one of the ears.'"

Chief Shutterbug. Petrisko suggests taking a camera and hopping on a bus with your child. Get off at an interesting location, like Union Station or the Capitol, and let your child shoot the pictures. Watch how she frames the shots and what she chooses to photograph. The best part? Your special time together will be captured on film.

Children may feel unwelcome at an art museum because they aren't allowed to touch anything. Wilson suggests, "You can touch with your eyes, your ears and your imaginations." She offers the following tips for getting the most out of your next museum visit.

• Before you go, read books together about art and museums. Pick a good time of day to visit, and don't plan to stay too long. An hour and a half, Wilson says, is about right for young children.

• When you go, bring a backpack with a camera and a sketch pad and pencils. (Check with individual museums first to make sure that these items are allowed). Start with the museum gift shop. Let your child choose one or two postcards showing items that she would like to find in the museum, and pretend you are on a treasure hunt. Once you find the piece, compare the real art to the postcard. Let her tell her own narrative about what she sees. You can help her along by asking simple questions: Tell me how you think the woman feels? Why does she feel that way?

• After you get home, follow up with an activity. You can drip paint like Jackson Pollack, use round stickers to create a pointillist painting, tear up magazines and make collages like Picasso or dress up as a ballerina and mimic the pose in Degas's "Ballerina."