September 22, 2008 11:37 AM
Montessori Monday: Kid-friendly Art
My college kids were home this weekend - with two friends in tow - and they were so supportive and encouraging about our new home. Seeing the familiar pictures hung in new places helps us see them anew.
And I was so touched by their acknowledgment that their home was different because it was decorated with children in mind. From the get-go my goal was not Architecture Digest or Southern Living or Martha Stewart, but an environment that would spark our children's imagination.
I can't begin to express how grateful I am that somehow - from my Montessori training - I picked up this idea. And the fact that my grown up kids grew up to be conscious of it and grateful for it, makes me want to share it once again with readers:
Kid Friendly Art One simple way to enrich the lives of your children is to bring art into your home. You don't have to know much to get started - I didn't! - but the key for moms is to see things through a child's eyes.
Kids are so responsive to pictures! Good art can lead to enriched language experiences and can stimulate critical thinking skills. Art can encourage and inspire your children if you will bring it within their sphere.
Keep in mind that they are much shorter than you, so be sure not to hang pictures too high - and provide some at their level too. So what if you don't see it in Architectural Digest? A family's home should be less about decorating perfection and more about nurturing and encouraging and inspiring the souls inside.
To show how I've used art at home, I simply took a walk through my house to share what I've collected over 37 years of mothering - with my thoughts on why I chose each. Keep in mind that like every mother, I started from scratch.
Click on the picture above to see my photo journal.
For more on introducing your kids to all the fine arts, see Head Start on the Arts.
Posted in Art, Homeschooling, Montessori, Montessori Mondays, Mothering | Permalink
Comments
Not 20 minutes ago I was hanging items in my toddler's room and I thought about the earlier post about art at kid-level. So I got down on one knee and put the item where my girl could touch it! Good timing!
Posted by: Imajackson | September 22, 2008 5:41 PM
"A family's home should be less about decorating perfection and more about nurturing and encouraging and inspiring the souls inside."
I LOVE that line. Thanks for this. I've felt this way and felt sort of alone in my thinking. For Christmas last year, I bought my son a reproduction of Van Gogh's Starry Night because he loved it so much. it's painted on canvas and looks real to an amateur eye! ;0) We're starting from scratch, so I don't have much...but I'm inspired to keep at it. Thank you!!! I needed just an extra little boost!!
Posted by: Julie | September 24, 2008 7:03 AM
