Creative Art: Sensory Learning

Often, Luke's pre-school teacher will send home a written explanation of what the pre-schoolers are working on and what that experience is teaching them.

Since my business is all about turning a child's artwork into gifts and apparel, when papers come home that pertain to the subject of art and creativity, I pay special attention.

I wanted to paraphrase some points that Luke's pre-school teacher highlighted reagarding Creative Art, because I think it's so important:

Our art program is designed to promote your child's creativity.  We focus on the PROCESS, not the end product.  It is OK if your child's dog doesn't look like a dog, or if he colors his apple purple.  That is your child's work (not the teachers) and that is his/her level of understanding of the real world right now.

If your child's art project looks like a big gooey mess, keep in mind that it was a good sensory experience.  He/she probably had a ball making his/her own creation.  That is what's most important.

Many projects your child brings home are craft oriented, and we do not have a particular end product in mind.  These are projects, not art. They are designed to enhance skill and cognitive development, rather than promote creative abilities.

REMEMBER: Our number one priority in art is that your child did it all by him/herself, he/she enjoyed doing it, and is proud of his/her work.

While my oldest daughter has some artistic talent, the other five pretty much just enjoy being creative, and as I've written in previous posts here on my blog, I LOVE nurturing that creativity in them!

So, as with most weekends, I plant get out those paints and markers and colored pencils and scissors and glue this weekend and have a sensory development/cognitive development-fest!

Now I've just got to find an empty vertical space on a wall where I can display the end product...

Enjoy!
~Lisa

Here are some fun things to help get your creative juices flowing....

It only takes a minute

So many people are shocked when they learn that I have 6 children...."how do you do it?" is a common question.

I won't say I never have bad days (just ask my kids!), but I try to be organized and that has been the key to my "success."

But busy as I am as a wife, mother, and entrepreneur, I've learned that we can teach our children through everyday activites that only take a few extra minutes of our time, especially if we include the "teaching" with the everyday activities that we're doing anyway!

Take laundry (PLEASE!!! Take ALL my laundry! I feel like I'm drowning in it some days!). 4-year old Luke likes to help me fold laundry, so I ask his assistance by having him sort the clothes. He makes a pile for each sibling and one for mom and dad, and one for the towels. You can't believe how much this actually helps me! Then when I start folding, I take one person at a time, and it seems so much simpler this way. Luke then likes to take his siblings' folded laundry and place it neatly on each person's bed (for that person to put away when s/he gets home from school). He also takes his folded clothes, which we've sorted into "shirts" "pants" "underwear & socks" and "pajamas" and he puts these away in the correct drawers in his bedroom.

Have fun!

~Lisa

Turn your child's artwork into unique gifts and apparel at http://www.MyLittleRembrandt.com and save 10% off your purchase with coupon code TY10 at checkout.