In our printable picture book, ‘Edmund and Joy and Annabel Artist’, Edmund and Joy have been invited to attend an art class, where they initially feel intimidated by all the amazing artwork that has been made by others. However, with some encouragement from Annabel Artist and each other, they begin to gain confidence and enjoy making art.
When Edmund and Joy continue to go to art class, they make art in many different ways, including painting, pottery, printing, collages and papier mâché. These different ways of making art are not only enjoyable for Edmund and Joy but they can also be enjoyable for young children, as well as being beneficial for their development. So why not get your kids to make along with Edmund and Joy and join their art adventure?
Painting
The first activity that Edmund and Joy do at art class is painting and it could be the first activity you set up for your children in their art adventure. Painting is a classic activity enjoyed by many young children and is good for developing their fine motor skills. It is also a good way of introducing the topic of colour and showing how colours can be mixed to make different colours. In addition, if children are painting something from life, it can hone their observational skills. Alternatively, if they are not painting from life, it is an opportunity for them to use their creativity.
Pottery
Pottery is a fun and sometimes messy activity in which children can learn about three-dimensional objects. A potter’s wheel can make this activity particularly fun, making the clay spin around and around as you try to keep control of it!
Printing
A classic way of printing with children is to use potatoes or sponges and to cut them into shapes before the children use them so that they can dip them in paint and print lots of different shapes onto paper, thus learning about shapes as they have fun. As well as being done on paper, printing can also be done on items such as unused t-shirts and cards, which can be given as gifts by children to their grandparents or other loved ones.
Collages
In making collages, children can use various bits of materials such as different coloured paper, sweet wrappers and newspaper cuttings, adding lots of them to paper to make an attractive bigger picture. The pictures can often be very abstract!
Papier mâché
In our printable picture book ‘Edmund and Joy and Annabel Artist’, art is being made out of papier mâché just before some exciting invitations arrive. You could recreate this with your kids, giving them papier mâché projects as the last activity in their art adventure before setting up an exhibition like the one in the story.
Setting up an exhibition!
Setting up an exhibition in your house is a fun play opportunity for kids. You could use the artwork that has already been made or you could even create more artwork especially for the exhibition like in the book. Setting up an exhibition is also an opportunity to appreciate all the fun that has been had on their art adventure!
Disclaimer: Many Joyful Things makes no representations or warranties of any kind in relation to the information in this post.
Many Joyful Things 