For many parents, art projects created by their kids are more
valuable than the Mona Lisa
At some point, every parent is the recipient of an artistic masterpiece. They may not know what the masterpiece is supposed to be – is it a drawing of an exotic fruit? A sculpture of a dog? – but the parent knows one thing: It was created by his or her child. That simple fact makes it priceless and worthy of a place of honor at home.
But why wait to decorate your home with crafts your child made at school or daycare?
“Art projects are a really great way for children to express themselves – they enjoy it and it broadens their imaginations,” said Cynthia Vasquez, center director of KinderCare Learning Center in Morgan Hill. “We encourage the children to do art projects here, but it’s great if they can do them at home, too. One thing we’ve found is that not only do parents like seeing their children’s work, the children love it when we put their pictures on the wall at their eye level, too.”
Karen Percival, president of MOMS Club of Hollister and mother of two, framed watercolor paintings her children made for her husband’s birthday. Her son, Evan, is 4 years old, and her daughter, Sarah, is 2.
“We framed them and put them up because they’re so beautiful,” she said. “I gave each of my children a set of 24 watercolors, and they just had a field day. Both paintings are completely abstract, but they have a beautiful flow of colors. They came out to be quite striking.”
Though Percival said she tries to display most of her children’s art in rotations, she keeps her favorite items up for as long as possible. One project she’s kept up for months features her children’s hand prints and their pictures.
First, the petals of a flower were cut out of construction paper and glued to another full sheet of paper. Pictures of her children’s faces were cut out and placed in the center of the flower. Then the children dipped their index fingers in green paint and pressed their painted finger onto the paper under the flower, forming the stem. Finally, the kids dipped both of their hands in the green paint and pressed them on either side of the stem, forming the leaves of the flower.
“One thing we do that parents love is to sit with the kids while they’re drawing or painting,” Vasquez said. “We ask them questions about their picture, and we write down everything they say. Those are the kinds of things parents take home and frame.”
One little boy wanted to draw roses to give to his new little sister, Vasquez remembered. As the staff member wrote down what he was saying, the boy explained he wanted to give his sister roses because that’s what his daddy always gave his mommy to show that he loved her.
“I like making crafts all day,” said 5-year-old Carleen Bohlin, who attended a craft clinic on Saturday at Michaels craft store in Gilroy. “I’m happy when I make crafts.”
Other projects KinderCare kids enjoy doing include blowing bubbles with paint solution onto paper, rolling paint covered marbles over construction paper inside a box and playing with Play-Doh, Vasquez said. The important thing is to avoid giving children specific projects all the time.
“If you give the kids Play-Doh, you don’t have to give them cookie cutters to use with it,” she explained. “If you let them just freehand play with it, they get the chance to use their imagination more. We like to have easels set up for the kids and give them all kinds of supplies to use and let them create what they want. They end up with great paintings that may have glitter or confetti on it, or maybe they decide to use markers instead of paint. The kids love it, and I think it’s great when parents put those things up in their homes.”
