The human being tends, as a rule, to express your emotions, their concerns, their perceptions of the environment, their joy ... explicitly, many even artistically. We like to create works, sometimes ephemeral, sometimes permanent, that are exposed and recognized, but above all well valued for our most intimate surroundings. Is a child different?
From very early ages, our children look for different ways of expressing themselves, of manifesting their way of seeing and feeling the world, as a means of communication and relationship that brings them closer to their loved ones. Our role as parents sometimes consists of show you how to do it more efficiently, but also provide you with the necessary resources to get it.
Painting is one of the most common forms of expression for children. Do you know any house with children where there is not a single painting or element to draw or color? Give a child a pencil and paper and almost certainly he automatically creates a more or less recognizable figure, it depends on age.
What is clear is that from a very young age they learn to use theThe most frequent tools in drawing and although they are more or less skilled, most always manage to represent something; Yes, I know that sometimes the most difficult task lies with the parents, which we must interpret, but there is the grace.
But what are these tools that parents can provide? Are they appropriate for all ages? We will reflect on the different possibilities in the market.
Finger paint
Very practical, even for the little ones, because it allows you to express yourself on large canvases with hardly any limitations and does not require the skills needed for the use of tools such as a pencil or a brush. Anyone can pretend and move their hands on paper, getting particular mixtures and shapes. For me, one of the most creative resources. Nowadays it is easy to find them in stores, but you can also make homemade finger paint. It allows "collective works", in group.
Blackboards
Magnetic, digital, white, traditional for chalk ... the truth is that the possibilities are wide. Here yes you have to assess very well the age and skills of our child when choosing a model or another. For example, chalks and markers may not be very appropriate for children and digital whiteboards require certain skills and are more appropriate for other uses, especially in teaching. The magnetic ones are easier to use in all ages and many are easily transportable, so you can take them anywhere. The advantage of blackboards is clear: it is a inexpensive and inexhaustible resource, unlike paper, you just have to paint and erase, as much as replenish consumables.
Computer applications
Nowadays drawing apps are in high demand, whether for our smartphones, tablets or computers. They allow children to have an inexhaustible source of drawing utensils and different virtual canvases, in addition to familiarize them with the use of basic digital tools. Then they always have the option to share their digital work with friends or family or print it to have it in physical format. It is obvious that this drawing technique is recommended for somewhat older children, although it always depends on their skills and training.
Traditional drawing tools
Personally, I am in favor of combining all possible drawing techniques, but never neglecting the traditional ones. Wooden pencils, markers, waxes ... on different paper formats are still a widely used resource, which also help the child improve his fine motor skills, since holding pencils well and using them accurately, even if it seems like a simple task, is a challenge for our kids. Whether coloring or through free drawing, traditional drawing tools provide the child with a resource to learn to concentrate and materialize their thoughts, contributing to improve their spatial vision and learn the relationship between different sizes and proportions.
Brushes
Temperas, watercolors, oils ... they are already major words, although each time they begin to use them at school. Very useful for work the textures, know the colors that are obtained from the mixtures, the precision of the strokes ... and something that they have to learn to fit: There is no rubber here, no eraserIf we are wrong, there are other ways to rectify and solve the "problem", but you cannot go back. It seems obvious, but try to explain to a very meticulous child that the straight line, which has become anything but straight, can not be erased and drawn again, that you have to "nuance it" and make this fun and not abandon homework. No one has said that being a father is easy ...
Whatever your resources are available and although at home you are not especially skilled for drawing, as is my case, sometimes the simplest works with the most austere means are the ones that most communicate and excite us, the important thing is to express yourself, because everyone We have a lot to share.
In Happy Learning | Your child is a digital native: 5 apps recommended for children
