How To Raise {And Clean Up After} Artsy Fartsy Kids

Every day I get a little twitchy-eyed watching my young children “craft.” I put that term loosely because sometimes I think they use it to take advantage of my weakness, which is self-expression. With that said, who am I to judge what is art when it doesn’t belong to me?!

I am passionate about being a hands-off parent with certain things, and art is one of them.

Why? Well, I have a vivid memory of how giddy I felt the first time I discovered glittery mode podge at summer day camp. I recall my fingers constantly being covered with Mr. Sketch scented markers at Latch Key, and coloring for hours quietly waiting for my mom to pick me up. Now, I still enjoy the smell of a new box of crayons; I am instantly transported back to a carefree time in my life.

I think every child should wear their artistry like a badge of honor. Because when you step back and just let kids go, really cool things are created — including happier children.

Additional side effects of art for kids are strengthening focus and attention, developing hand-eye coordination and helping with the strategic thinking practice — all crucial to life success. With my somewhat shy girls, I love that it helps build their self-esteem, too.

My oldest with a mixed media piece 😉 She is always proud of her art and asks me to take photos!

Because art is sacred to me, I have some “art rules” in our house.

I vow to:

• Never have a fridge without kid art on it.
• Never control the direction my kids take with their crafts, even if it makes me slightly twitchy. It is *their* art, not mine.
• Not jump to conclusions about what my kids are creating. I want them to explain their own thought process.
• Take my kids places to explore and gain an understanding of art.
• Allow easy access to age-appropriate art supplies – scissors {kid-friendly}, glue sticks, crayons, stickers, etc. so my kids can create when the mood strikes them.

• Let them make art with anything we may be recycling or throwing out otherwise. {My girls are obsessed with crafting with toilet paper rolls and boxes, for example.}
• Should my children show an interest in pursuing art, I will come up with the financial means to allow them to experiment through classes.
• Ensure my kids see me do artistic things to show them art can be a wonderful outlet for adults, too. {They already know I don’t share my crayons and colored pencils!}
• Allow crafty messes to be made, even when it makes me feel slightly twitchy.

Letting kids make a mess may be the hardest part for me. Because I allow art supplies to be accessed without my supervision, I do periodically find surprises on our carpet and wood floors. And I don’t care what the label says — the term ‘washable’ is loose in the craft world!

I recently tested some STAINMASTER™ Carpet Stain Remover on some marker that obviously went rouge, and was happy it worked like a charm. I’m happy I don’t have to hide our craft stains with an area rug any longer! Check it out:

So glad there are great products out there to help this mama clean up messes — crafts or maybe even occasional coffee and wine spills I have 😉

I can’t wait to see how my kids grow with their art in the years ahead {or maybe they will decide they don’t love it, and that’s OK too}. Who else is ready for some new crafts to don their fridge this year?

I received a sample of the STAINMASTER product mentioned and was compensated for this post. All thoughts are mine.

What do you do to encourage your child’s creativity?