How to Teach Your Kids about Painting, Coloring, & Art

Kids love all things related to coloring and art, but parents might want to take the time to teach their children about painting and other artistic expressions. The goal is to engage, inspire, and teach your child about coloring and techniques with age-appropriate methods.

Teaching your child about painting and coloring doesn't require a special curriculum or a dedicated time each day to study. It starts as soon as your child can hold a jumbo crayon and continues as your child gets older. 

Here are some simple tips for teaching painting, coloring, and art.

1. Forget the Smocks

Let your child have a few art shirts that you don't mind getting wet and covered in paint. Smocks take time away from artistic pursuits, and sometimes, they're uncomfortable. The material might deter your child from wanting to color and paint. 

2. Mix Paint on Paper

Give each of your children paint and an individual palette. Let them mix paints to figure out the perfect color for their art. Give them as much time as they want to create and mix paint. 

3. Create an Art Center in Your Home

One of the best ways to teach your children about art and painting is just to give them the opportunity to be artistic whenever they want. You can leave out a set of merka Coloring Mats on the table so your child can color whenever he wants. 

Fill bins with art supplies like kid-safe scissors, washable paint, watercolor paper, glue sticks, and more. Get items and leave them in their bin, and give your child free-range to create whatever he wants. Art needs to be enjoyable, and letting your child be creative is just what he needs. 

4. Display Art Throughout Your Home

Showcase art throughout your home. That can mean creating a space that your children can hang their artwork throughout the week. Kids love to look at their work, and it might give them inspiration for future arts. 

5. Don't Point Out Mistakes 

Pointing out mistakes can discourage your child from his artistic interests. Mistakes can turn into the most unique parts of the art. Tell your kids to expect mistakes and teach them how to turn mistakes into something else. 

Being critical of mistakes will hurt your child, so encourage them to be artistic, no matter what you think of the mistakes that they make! 

6. Pick Fun Subjects

Parents need to think carefully about the subjects of their art lessons. It needs to captivate the children and make them want to spend time creating a work of art. 

Find things that interest your child. If your child loves to paint subjects outside, take him outside with watercolor paints and let him paint trees and leaves. If your child loves dogs, encourage her to paint a picture of a funny dog.