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Almost every child loves to transform a white sheet of paper into their own work of art with bright colours. But how important is it for children to paint? What skills are promoted in the process? And to what extent can parents encourage their children to paint?
Painting is very important for the development of children. In our blog you will learn which skills are promoted by painting and which development phases the child goes through. We also give you some ideas on how to encourage your child to paint.
Why should children paint?
Painting promotes many important cognitive skills that have a positive impact on children's development.
How does a child develop when he paints?
Children first start with simple drawings. Over time they develop better and better techniques to create creative images.
How can I encourage my child to paint?
To encourage children to paint, make sure you offer as many different motifs as possible. Since toddlers do not yet know boundaries, it makes sense to introduce them to many motifs of the painting profession.
1. Painting promotes cognitive skills
Painting is primarily a form of leisure activity for children. For example, in kindergarten they spend many hours drawing a beautiful picture for their parents. But even when the weather is bad outside, children like to take their pencils with them. There is always a suitable opportunity to paint.
When children paint or draw, they learn to give free rein to their imagination and creativity. They use drawings to tell stories that they cannot express with language. With the help of paper, a few markers and paint it is possible to create something personal and new.
Over time, children develop their painting technique, so that the images become better and more detailed. In this way, the spatial imagination is also further developed. The first attempts naturally train gross motor skills. However, children can also train their fine motor skills through fine drawingsthe further course of action.
Are you curious about what the most important painting techniques are? We wrote a blog about it! Click here to read the blog article: '' Learning to paint: 4 painting techniques & 4 tips for the first painting ''.
When children draw, they are in their own world. They concentrate entirely on what they want to express with the photo. To train your child's ability to concentrate, you should ensure that there is a calm and pleasant atmosphere while painting.
When the photo is ready, it's time to show it to the parents. Children proudly show their parents what they have just made. Positive criticism is a great boost to the child's self-esteem.
As soon as the children are ready to paint a beautiful animal, landscape or their own photo, then Paint by Numbers for kids a nice solution, which also trains cognitive skills. At Paint by Numbers paint the marked boxes on the canvas with the paint included in the all-in-one packageis delivered.
In short, painting promotes the following cognitive skills in children:
- Creativity and imagination
- Gross and fine motor skills
- Coordination
- Concentration power
- Self-awareness and self-criticism
Painting gives children the opportunity to process their daily lives and feelings. They paint experiences from the past or express their expectations of a certain event.
2. The development of painting goes through different phases
Babies start drawing when they are 1 year old. This phase is also called the doodling phase. It lasts until approximately the end of the 2nd year of life.
In the next phase, children begin to draw shapes, such as circles. A popular motif is the so-called cephalopod. This consists of a head with a face, as well as arms and legs.
Children then learn to draw things as they understand them in everyday life. Appropriate colours and shapes are used. Motifs such as the sun, animals, houses or flowers are popular. Children also enjoy drawing their own families.
In subsequent years, the images and drawings become increasingly detailed. You can encourage your children by showing your interest in what they have painted. Ask what is in the photo and what the meaning of the individual elements is.
Fun fact: Equality in children's portraits
When children in theIn the 1960s and 1970s, when people were asked to draw explorers, 99% of the time they were men. A new study from Northwestern University shows that children today portray women 44% of the time.
3. Tips to encourage children to paint
In principle, parents should let their children paint whatever they want. When parents do not interfere with this process, it produces the nicest paintings.
However, there are always phases where children don't really know what to paint. In these cases you can of course help them. We are happy to help you with some ideascould present.
Hint: If you notice that your child has a special talent for painting or develops a great passion for it, you can also enroll him or her in a suitable course.
3.1 Provide a wide range of materials
To encourage children to paint, make sure you provide as many different materials as possible. Since toddlers do not yet know boundaries, it makes sense to provide as large a space as possible. You can cover objects to protect them.
However, the material must also be age-appropriate. For example, offer small children larger crayons that are easier to hold.
The following materials are suitable for drawing:
- Paper
- Canvas
- Wallpaper
- Wooden planks
- coloured pencils
- wax crayon
- Chalk
- Watercolors
- Pencils
- finger paint
3.2 Making use of current events
The upcoming holidays, such as Easter or Christmas, are particularly suitable for painting and crafting. Use these opportunities to make appropriate decorations or unique gifts with your children.
At Easter you can paint Easter eggs with your child or make window paintings that you can then paint on the window with window paint. Just before Christmas, you can encourage your child to make decorations for the Christmas tree.
Children also look forward to painting their parents a personal picture for Mother's or Father's Day. Use the Paint by Numbers own photo for.
3.3 Offering different paint games
To stimulate your children's creativity, you can also combine painting with other games. Create new impulses by suggesting themes or making painting a joint task. This way you can prevent the children from always working on the same motives.
Below we would like to give you some ideas on how you can encourage your child to create creative works of art.
- Drawing stories: Tell your child a story that you describe in great detail. Make sure you include as many people or objects as possible. Then ask your child to make a painting that matches the entire story or one scene.
- Create collaborative works of art: Creating works of art together with your child creates a sense of togetherness. This idea is also great for a child's birthday party. Place a large sheet of paper or a piece of wallpaper in the center of the table. Now every child can choose a place where they want to paint.
- Coloring pages Mandalas: Children can be very creative with mandalas and coloring pages,especially in the field of coloring. At the same time, fine motor skills are trained by coloring accurately. Provide a pleasant and quiet atmosphere so that your child can relax. The templates can often be found for free on the internet.
