It is beneficial to start taking structured art classes when a child is ready for instruction and is able to keep focus on one task for about 45 minutes.

Also, there should be an interest in drawing things alike, i e figurative drawing.

 

All these requirements are usually met between 4 and 5 years.

 

Before that, kids are normally great abstract painters. They love to experiment with different art materials: liquid acrylic paint on cardboard, watercolor over crayons, pastels on construction paper, play dough and seeds and so on. They create amazing color harmonies and fearlessly paint on huge canvases and boards. They learn not through instruction but through play. And we do believe that a parent is the best partner for this playful art exploration.

 

The best thing you can do is to provide your child with art materials of normal quality, and make sure she can comfortably paint on a protected part of a floor or a table, not on an easel (liquid paint runs down and distracts from creative ideas). Show her how to mix color, how to use brushes and chalks, make circles, straight lines and patterns, how to sculpt. Paint with her, but not on her canvas, and do not fix her "mistakes". Encourage her!

 

If in your child's works you see not abstract shapes and colors, but careful representation of objects she sees around, please feel free to schedule a demo class here: https://forms.artschoolsfbay.com/demo?c=1

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