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October 29, 2014 Leave a Comment

Can you teach art if you know nothing about it?

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You could be missing out on some awesome art content! The below post was originally in my first e-mail newsletter earlier this month. I won’t always post the newsletter content to the blog, so be sure to subscribe if you don’t want to miss anything! In addition to receiving the free worksheet bundle when you subscribe, you’ll also be given a link to access all the past newsletters that you have missed.

the Art Curator for Kids - Can you teach art if you know nothing about it

One of my readers, Anne, recently e-mailed me and said that her main struggle with teaching art is that she herself is not educated on the subject so she shies away from it.

I’m willing to bet that Anne is not alone in this struggle. When I created this blog in March of this year, that was one of my goals for the blog–to get parents comfortable looking at and talking about art with their children. There are tons of art projects and crafts out there on Pinterest and blogs, but my goal is a little different. I want you and your family to enjoy and get personal meaning from works of art throughout all of art history.

Art is so valuable in your child’s (and your) life. Study after study has proven that involvement in the arts improve creative thinking, test scores, self-esteem, and more (see me if you’d like some links to these studies). Art connects us to our world and to each other. It teaches us about ourselves and about others. It teaches us how to think critically, how to solve problems, and how to express ourselves.

I especially want you to understand that you don’t have to know a lot about art to be able to enjoy it and introduce it to your kids. Art is more than knowing how to draw or knowing facts about artists lives. Art is about experiencing, feeling, and communicating. You are capable, as you are today, to expose your child to the many wonders of art.

Okay, wow. I need to hop off my little cheesy art soapbox. I’m passionate about this, people. 🙂

There are many things you can do to start introducing art into your home. Below, I will highlight three of my favorite resources from my site below that are a great starting place to looking at art with your kids.


how to look at art with children

The post, Looking at Art with Kids: Why and How?, covers a lot of the why art is important stuff that I included above, but it also have 4 tips on how to look at art with children. I wrote a guest post on PowerfulMothering.com with more tips geared specifically for toddlers and preschoolers.


the Art Curator for Kids - Free Art Appreciation Printable Worksheet Bundle

Another great resource available on my blog is my 8 pack of printable worksheets for exploring art free if you sign up for my e-mail newsletter. Each of these will work with many works of art. These are a great place to start if you don’t know what to do.  If you don’t know which artworks to choose, start with some of the works in my Art Round-Up series. If you like these worksheets and want more, you can buy a 20 pack of worksheets which includes the 8 from the e-mail subscriber gift plus 12 more for $12.

Free Worksheets

8 Free Art Appreciation Worksheets

includes the Elements & Principles!

Download 8 Free Art Appreciation Worksheets – including 2 Elements and Principles pages! Activities designed to work with almost any work of art. Help your students connect with art while having fun!

Download

Free Worksheets

8 Free Art Appreciation Worksheets

includes the Elements & Principles!

Download 8 Free Art Appreciation Worksheets – including 2 Elements and Principles pages! Activities designed to work with almost any work of art. Help your students connect with art while having fun!


the Art Curator for Kids - Great Art Appreciation Books for Kids

Books are a great starting place to look at art. Check out this series of books which include beautiful works of art and looking questions. One of them even has a cd of music to accompany the artworks!


What is your biggest struggle when teaching art to your kids? Let me know in the comments, and I will give you some tips and resources to help!

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Filed Under: Art Teacher Tips

 

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Hi! I’m Cindy Ingram, the creator of Art Class Curator and The Curated Connections Library

I’m on a mission to revolutionize education with the power of life-changing art connections. Art is not “extra”. Art is essential. We are empowering teachers to bridge the gap between art making and art connection, kindling a passion for art that will transform generations.

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In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

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Art Appreciation Worksheets

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

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I like how this program, unlike other art class resource membership programs, feels authentic. It's like art matters more here, and not fancy flash-in-the-pan trendiness. The goal of Art Class Curator seemed to be helping kids develop a lifelong love and art appreciation versus "Hey, look. I painted this fish."
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Your questions are helping me to delve into much deeper learning, and my students are getting better at discussion-and then, making connections in their own work. Art Class Curator is awesome!
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I had the most amazing 6th grade class today. They were jumping out of their seats with hands raised just to respond and give input. It was as if I was waving candy in front of them! They saw more and more and the ideas and interpretations unfolded. So cool!!! This is what makes teaching art so wonderful – thank you!!
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In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

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