How can you help and support your child in the area of the arts? Create activities that address the following areas.
- Trying different art activities such as dancing, singing, acting, painting, and drawing
- Asking questions about and looking for new ways to dance, make music, act, or make art
- Using different materials such as puppets, costumes, instruments, paint, glue, scissors, and crayons
- Showing an interest in other children's art activities
It's the last of my posts on school readiness activities, and I have saved the best, most fun for last! We're dancing, we're singing, we're throwing a marching band inside! Today we explore our creative sides and embrace the power of imagination! This is my jam! Let's just call this topic "Miss Jen in a nutshell." Okay, so I know that I said that social studies was my favorite subject in school, but any chance I had to dance, sing, act, or create was the best! I took dance classes all throughout my childhood (ballet, tap, jazz, pointe), sang in different choirs, and loved being in plays both on stage and behind the scenes. I wrote for school newspapers and did creative writing in grade school, high school, and college. I was in show choirs, musical theater, and active in both the television and radio stations in college. I love performing, expressing myself, and being creative. And while I didn't quite inherit the drawing and painting artistic talents from my grandmother, I still find ways of creating through duct tape design, graphic design, and making art with preschoolers. As a child I was always encouraged to explore my interests, test the boundaries of my imagination, and express myself in different and creative ways. I owe so many thanks to my parents for this, and now that I am a parent myself, I can truly appreciate the sacrifices they made. The arts are so important for shaping children and are a necessary part of education. Sadly, arts programs are usually the first ones to be cut in school budgets, but they are so vital. They promote creativity, collaboration, and perseverance. They encourage children to learn new skills, practice what they have learned, and develop patience in the process. The arts are important for children who are visual learners (like yours truly.) They teach kids how to slow down and focus, learn to make decisions, and build confidence. Various studies have shown how arts programs actually help improve academic performance. There are so many activities that you can do with your child to promote the arts. It can even be as simple as giving them a blank piece of paper and a box of crayons.
Readers theater fun
Whether you have an actual script or just try and retell the story, encourage your kiddos to act out the stories you share together. Take it a step further and act out what you think happened after you stopped turning the pages. It's like fan fiction come to life!
Let's get the band together
If you have musical instruments or toys, get them. If you don't, make them! Empty coffee cans make great drums, especially if you decorate them. A box of rice makes a great shaker. Start playing, start singing, start marching around the house if you want to! Check with your local library and see if they have a toy collection. Mine does, and you can request all kinds of instruments and musical toys for free with your library card.
Nature art
This was an activity I mentioned in a previous post, but it absolutely works here too. Find objects like pinecones, feathers, leaves, stones, or flower petals and turn them into art. Working together you can make a great college with these found objects along with other craft materials. It's a great way of documenting a special hike, picnic, or other activity you enjoyed together in nature.
Recycle and upcycle
You can make art out of things like tin cans or plastic bottles (recycle.) You can also make something together to teach your child the value of taking something and turning it into something new (upcycle.) A project that I like to do with kids is taking old t-shirts and then turning them into library bags. It allows for a lesson in learning to help the environment and reduce our carbon footprint, a bonus social studies activity! A simple Google search can lead you to a number of things you can do with an old shirt such as turn it into a dog toy or "yarn" that can be woven into scarves or even jewelry. That's a great fine motor activity.
Poetrypalooza
I say everything is better when it's a palooza! Visit the 800s section of your local library's children's department and check out some poetry books. Explore the different styles and then write some of your own. May I suggest checking out some Shel Silverstein books such as A Light in the Attic or Where the Sidewalk Ends and read the funny poems together. These were two of my favorite books as a child.
Channel your inner cinematographer
My girls absolutely love taking pictures and making videos. My husband gave them an old cell phone (SIM card removed, disabled WiFi) that they use to take pictures of their dolls and stuffed animals. They also love making their own (fake) YouTube videos where they act out stories and show off their toys. They could spend hours doing this if I let them. It's so fun to watch and listen to them. It's like they are following in their mama's broadcasting footsteps. Plus some of the scenarios my 7 year old comes up with for her toys make me feel like I am watching a telenovela! The drama! The intrigue! You can work together to write a script or have your child draw pictures of what the order of the story will be (storyboarding.)
Throw a concert in your living room
Play different kinds of music from the radio or from your own collection. Encourage to child to sing and dance along to the music with you. This is also a great time to introduce music and dance from different cultures, whether it's your own or not.
Explore the arts in your own community
This might not be so easy during Covid times, but when things begin to open up again, explore museums, go to free outdoor concerts, dance at a festival, or see a play. Let children' see art in action and see that people in their community are making it, all while exploring their creativity, passion, and imagination. In the meantime, there are a number of online resources that can help you do this from the comfort and safety of your own home. Many museums offer virtual tours of their exhibits. Musical artists are performing free concerts from home. You can even view plays, musicals, ballets, and other performances from home. Check out Google Art & Culture. It's a free and easy way to see more of the world around you, and it is AMAZINGLY cool!
Take a class
Not only an your child take a class, but there are also opportunities for parent/child classes in a variety of areas. There are also lower cost and even free options through scouts, local stores (think Home Depot craft making), and your good ol' local library, at least when things start returning to normal again. Some library systems are offering virtual programs in the meantime, so take advantage of those for sure. I know I have! Many also offer databases as part of their collection. If your local system does not offer Creativebug, ask them to!
Books
The 700s in your local library's juvenile nonfiction section will be your best friend here, along with poetry books found in the 800s. A lot of books on other countries and cultures will have sections that talk about this too. This would also be a great time to explore the biography section. Some fiction keywords to search are art, music, dance, theater, imagination, pretend, make-believe, creativity, and crafts among others. There are also a number of books out there that are illustrated versions of popular songs such as Happy by Pharrell Williams with interior photography by Amanda Platt, Footloose by Kenny Loggins with illustrations by Tim Bowers, and Octopus's Garden by Ringo Starr with illustrations by Ben Cort. Jane Cabrera is known for her books based on children's songs and nursery rhymes. Then one of my favorite's, Laurie Berkner has illustrated picture books of some of her most well known songs.
- What will these hands make? / Nikki McClure
- Studio : a place for art to start / Emily Arrow, James Buchanan, Melissa Buchanan
- Linus the little yellow pencil / Scott Magoon
- When Pencil met Eraser / story by Karen Kilpatrick and Luis O. Ramos, Jr. ; illustrated by Germán Blanco
- Anywhere artist / Nikki Slade Robinson
- The music of life / Louis Thomas
- Pokko and the drum / Matthew Forsythe
- Play this book / by Jessica E. Young ; illustrated by Daniel Wiseman
- Bears in a band / Shirley Parenteau ; illustrated by David Walker
- The ABC animal orchestra / Donald Saaf
- The bear went over the mountain / as told and illustrated by Iza Trapani
- Marvin makes music / Marvin Hamlisch ; illustrated by Jim Madsen
- Acoustic Rooster and his barnyard band / Kwame Alexander ; illustrated by Tim Bowers
- Punk Farm / Jarrett J. Krosoczka
- Punk Farm on Tour / Jarrett J. Krosoczka
- If you're happy and you know it / by James Warhola
- How do you dance? / Thyra Heder
- This is it / by Daria Peoples-Riley
- Sebi and the Land of Cha Cha Cha / Roselyn Sánchez and Eric Winter ; illustrated by Nívea Ortiz
- Cock-a-doodle dance! / by Christine Tricarico ; illustrated by Rich Deas
- Chicken dance / by Tammi Sauer ; illustrated by Dan Santat
- When you need wings / Lita Judge
- A little courage / Taltal Levi
- My rainy day rocket ship / Markette Sheppard ; illustrated by Charly Palmer
- Best day ever / by Michael J. Armstrong ; illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans
- The book in the book in the book / Julien Baer ; illustrated by Simon Bailly
- Where did you go today? / Jenny Duke
- What to do with a string / by Jane Yolen ; illustrated by C. F. Payne
- What to do with a box / Jane Yolen ; illustrated by Chris Sheban
- If you had a jetpack / words by Lisl H. Detlefsen ; illustrated by Linzie Hunter
- Do you believe in unicorns? / Bethanie Deeney Murguia
No comments:
Post a Comment