How to Teach Your Child to Enjoy the Hobby of Drawing

With many schools cutting back on art programs, it is important to supplement your child's education with art whenever possible. Drawing or painting teaches concentration and eye-hand coordination, among other things. Kids are never too young to teach, and those who enjoy it will continue to pursue the hobby on their own in time. Giving them a hobby such as creating art is a wonderful way to give your son or daughter wholesome pastimes that they can enjoy that don't cost a fortune. As a child of an art teacher, my exposure started as soon as I could hold a pencil. It wasn't long before creating became a passion that has lasted all my life. Here are some ways to start your child's interest in drawing or other art genre.

Start with the basics

With everyday crayons or markers and paper, show your child how to draw basic shapes like triangles, circles and squares. See the included photograph for examples of this. The idea is for your child to build confidence. They can try cubes and pyramids after learning the basic shapes, which is basic geometric forms, but don't tell them that. Kids are like sponges and learn fast if they like what they are doing so be careful to encourage and don't criticize. Let them doodle, color in what they drew, and stick their drawings up on the refrigerator. Let them see that you are proud of what they did. There is no bigger confidence boost to a child than parental approval.

Keep building on what they have learned

When they are comfortable with drawing the basic shapes, then help them think of a simple subject to draw, using those triangles, boxes and trapezoids as the basis for the drawing. See the horse I drew, it is made up of basic shapes. Part of art is learning how to see, and artists learn to draw using these techniques. When you look at a television, you see a square in a square. When you see a basic sailboat its basically a trapezoid with a triangle on a stick. Make it a game to see the basic shapes in everyday things. Then later, if they want to, have them draw one of those shapes. If they enjoyed it, have them draw more. This is how to build confidence, creating confidence, enthusiasm and interest. The best thing about it is, that the child doesn't know that he or she is actually learning things that much older students learn. When I got to college and had my core drawing course, we broke the human figure down into basic shapes. It was easy for me since I'd done that my whole childhood with other subjects. The confidence was already established.

When your children are comfortable, let them use pencils to draw. Using markers and crayons are good to start with because they cannot erase. What they do is right there on paper and cannot be fixed. This way they won't be focused on erasing, and by the time they use pencils, their confidence will be stronger and they may cling to correcting. Let them know that there is no right or wrong in artistic expression. Every artist has the right to express him or herself as they want to. This can be comforting to a child who is afraid to make mistakes. Be patient and supportive, and soon, your budding artist will be confident to erase the basic shapes and draw without them. Being an artist for over 30 years, I think basic shapes as I draw but no longer draw them unless a subject is particularly difficult for me. That comes in time, but don't rush it. Go have fun, the fun is contagious and your children will appreciate the time you spend with them. No talent is required, just enjoy.