Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Nurturing the artistic child

DD3 has always been artistic. Started banging on the keyboard with purpose and swaying her body to her music since she was 8 months old. She recently started drawing negative images of flowers- tulips, daisies, roses. She got the idea from working on coloring sheets that my friend gave to her that have wax type stuff where you can't color and that reveal these hidden images. She used that "wax technique and the punch out technique from my school" to make these drawings. She makes up these beautiful songs that fill your heart with joy. It was my SIL's anniversary and as she and her DH were cutting the cake, dd started to sing "pink is the color of love, blue is the color of sky. happy happy anniversary." Or when she saw the rainbow this summer and sang " oh, rainbow, rainbow. Oh, beautiful rainbow. Don't you go away. Let me slide down your back."
How do I nurture this beautiful gift? I have no artistic ability whatsoever and while DH is talented, he is very disciplined in his approach- something that doesn't work well with DD. I take her to once a week music together class which she loves. She spends the hour just running around the room like a maniac. They have a once a week music class at school which she hates and usually cries and sits out- i think because it is structured. no classes for art. DH wants to start her on classical music training and structured art classes. I am vehemently opposed but then again, I am artistically challenged. I could really use some help and ideas from people on this board who are artistically talented or have children who are so. Thank you so much.

I think "Gifted Children: Myths And Realities" (1997) by Ellen Winner is a great book. It discusses both intellectual and artistic giftedness and may give you some ideas, but it not a how-to book.

What a charming girl your DD is!

Art is about inspiration, so I'd be sure to carve out time to explore and discover beauty in an unrestricted, unscheduled way-- nature, theater, music, literature, food, dance, etc. I imagine this comes naturally to her already!

ETA: I'm not a talented artist, just someone who appreciates beauty through the arts!

Thanks, Bostonian. I will check the book out. Even if it not a how to book, just understanding how artistic people think and function would help me provide a more enriching environment to my dd.

Thank you, aquinas. My dd brings a lot of happiness and delight to my life. She notices things that I never would or that i take for granted, like shapes in clouds, the glow of the white snow on a moonlit night, the imagined fear of a poor bird swept up in a tornado. I am a silent observer and like you I appreciate the beauty of arts through her interpretations. Not sure if this back seat approach is all that she needs or if I need to let my DH use his approach. I am afraid she will stop doing it if it becomes a task that needs practice and mastery. Anyway, i am rambling. Thanks again!

if you live near a museum they sometimes have art classes for the pre-K set. Sometimes they have a family fun day or something where you could meet the staff and your DD could see the facilities.

I know a couple of women where I live that conduct art classes in their home studios, everything from very talented kids that need more than school at a younger age, to kids with development issues that need a caring touch. One of the woman takes children that young and she has had a few kids for years, now they are in middle school or high school and help her out as assistants.

Maybe you could check out those ideas in your area.

I think artists need room to explore as do pre-schoolers. Personally I think time, space, supplies and positive feedback support visual arts pretty well. When she needs "how to" support maybe find a video online. I had art classes when I was younger, though well intentioned I didn't learn from them, because I wasn't interested in drawing leaves.

I think vision+voice is ultimately more important to a visual artist than skills. Skills you can learn as needed, but voice and vision can be fragile.

Ramble away! You have a willing audience in me.

And please do keep us posted on your DD's work; they're great stories to hear.

My DD9 is fairly artistic and really enjoys the process of creating. We have an area of the basement set aside for her with all kinds of materials (everything from fabric to dried seeds to colored pencils). She also has a keyboard and staff paper I printed out for her in her bedroom, and gets to use the computer for her stories and poetry. In addition, she's a budding chef and likes to make up her own recipes.

However, she's not a fan of structured art classes. She'll sometimes read or watch short videos for inspiration, but prefers to experiment on her own. It can get rather messy, but it’s been fun watching her explore and develop.

Just some random thoughts about art classes:

I was a precocious artist as a child, almost totally self-taught. I was given this book as a gift when I was maybe 8 and I highly recommend that for an artist of that age who shows talent: http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Right-Side-Brain-Definitive/dp/1585429201

One time in maybe second grade we had an art teacher come to our class at school to show us how to draw flowers. Long straight stick for a stem, symmetrical leaves on each side, a U with some points for a tulip blossom. Done! To this day I don't draw flowers any other way, and I think that's the worst sort of way to teach a child to draw. It wasn't until I took a drawing class for my art degree at a university that I was actually taught how to really look at something and translate that to paper when drawing from life.

For a 3-year-old, though, you'll want to let her have fun exploring different types of media. I haven't reviewed all of these sites thoroughly but you may find some of them helpful:

http://www.mrsbrownart.com/index.htm

http://www.kinderart.com/

http://www.lz95.net/mw/talbert/stugal.htm

http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/