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I want you to feel like I am here for both you and your kiddos.

As parents we all make thousands of parenting decisions a day.  With these posts,  I hope that my expertise will help you to better navigate the pitfalls that dealing with art can present.  I know what I know, because I made mistakes...many ...many mistakes.   Hopefully I learned from them and some of what I know I can pass on to you and yours.

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How do I talk to my child about art?  (looking at and interpreting art)

Updated: Aug 5, 2024


You will notice I encourage looking at art. On an intuitive level, that makes perfect sense. Shouldn't kids look at art in an art class? However, research suggests that looking at and interpreting art can build important cognitive skills as well as empathy. In addition, knowing art and artists is, in my opinion, an important part of being a well-rounded person.


I used art as inspiration for my lessons because it helped my creative process of creating projects. Also, many children truly enjoy looking at and talking about art, but some wouldn't give two hoots if it wasn't connected to actual art creation.


I had a process for how I looked at art with kiddos, which did vary with the age of the child.


With kindergarteners and first graders: we would start with these questions:


  • What did you notice about this work of art?

  • How would you describe it to someone who couldn't see it?

  • What details do you see?




Second grade and older we would start with these questions:



  • Is it a painting, drawing, or sculpture?

  • What is the subject? (landscape, still life, portrait, scene, or design)

  • How has the artist used line, shape, color, pattern, texture, or form? (depending on the work, if the painting is mainly about color, I would ask about that)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0OeaZptITA -to review the elements of art

  • How has the artist used his/her picture space? Is it balanced or imbalanced? Did the artist use depth (close and far)?

  • How does the work make you feel? Why?

  • What do you think the artist's purpose was in creating this work of art?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfokezwAx8I -to learn more about why artists create art

4th grade and older we would continue:



  • How would you describe this work? Realistic, imaginary, surreal, abstract, stylized, non-objective? (this, of course, depended on what they were viewing for example, does this painting seem realistic or dreamlike to you?)

  • Does it have a mood or feeling? (happy, sad, gloomy, whimsical, scary, anxious, angry, excited...and so on)

  • What do you think the artist could be trying to say to us?


Sometimes, I would guide them by telling them a bit about an artist's life. Sometimes learning about the artist clarifies what the artist was expressing with their work.

*For some projects I added links to videos on the cover sheets in the "Grab and Go Packs" that discuss an artist's life. I hope that helps you and your learners.


I also find it very helpful to have kiddos compare two works of art that are similar in some way but have important differences. For example, comparing two works that have similar subjects or types of art, but have differences in style or purpose. I also like comparing two similar works and asking them which one is a better work of art and why they think so. I will sometimes let them know which one is considered better, but I always remind learners that there is no right or wrong in preferences.


Visiting the Art Museum:

Visiting and Art Museum:

Finally, I will add a little note about preparing a child for an art museum visit. I think exploring art in this way is so important. I strongly recommend going over some behavioral expectations with them ahead of time. Remind them to talk quietly, walk only, not touch the artwork, and be respectful to the museum employees and visitors.


A fun thing to do is to make a list of questions for them to think about while there such as:

  • What is your favorite work in this room? Why do you like it?

  • What is the work you like the least? What do you not like about it?

  • Is there a work of art you feel like you would like to learn more about...that you maybe found interesting, but didn't understand?


Finally, do prepare them for seeing images that they may find embarrassing, disturbing, or upsetting. Remind them that artists are grown-ups and some art is not meant for kids. Encourage them to try to deal with art that challenges, embarrasses, or upsets them in a grown-up way.



 
 
 

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