By Spramani Elaun
Some of your toddlers might still be learning how to talk, so how are you supposed to have a full on conversation about art? Here’s the good news: talking to your toddler about art is not something you need to worry about. You don’t have to use “art language,” proper terminology, or fancy words in order for them to start appreciating and experiencing art. Art does have its own language, it’s called the ‘Elements and Principles of Design,’ but that’s way too advanced for little toddlers and primary grades to understand! When you talk to your toddler about art making it’s really just describing what you see in artworks, like color, shape, and form, etc.
How-to Start Talking to Toddlers About Art
I want to make things clear: toddlers and kids in early childhood can be introduced to art talk. It’s just important to understand that children in this age group are seeing and experiencing everything for the first time; they don’t quite understand visual art fits into their little world and young lives.
As they explore more and more and start really getting to know what art is, using art talk with your toddler will become easier. More than likely, their inquisitive little mind will start making connections (like, “if I use this color paint, on this paint brush, it’ll come out like this”), and they’ll probably start asking questions (such as, “what color is this?” or “why did this do this?”).
When you’re first introducing art talk to your toddler, keep things basic and simple. Start by describing what you see when you’re looking at art or what’s going on as you make art. You don’t necessarily need to use these exact terms, but let them be your springboard for getting the conversation going.
Basic Art Talk:
- Color
- Shape
- Line
Keep these concepts in mind as you talk to your toddler about art. Here are some examples of how to bring these ideas into your art talk.
“Let’s cut out some shapes, like circles and squares, with scissors.”
“Let’s make some squiggly lines and straight lines with crayons. How many different colored lines can we do?”
“Let mix these two different paint colors together. Look how the yellow and blue mix, what color does it make?”
Why it’s important to teach todders art talk?
It’s important to start talking early on to your toddlers about art around them. By starting these talks you help your kids undestand visual clues around them, and Neural wire foundational connections helping to build more complex art ideas in the primary grades.
Remember that most artworks made by toddlers are simply experimental, led by their own curiosity and art play. For them, the point of art is just to create, and their finished pieces won’t look like anything at all. If you encourage them and answer their questions and they create, they’ll grow bolder in their exploration and will ultimately have the self-confidence to continue trying new things—even beyond art.
Art talk will stimulate your toddler’s imagination, I encourage you to try it out! If you have any questions or get stumped on answering one of their art questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at spramanielaun@gmail.com.
Spramani Elaun – Art Teacher & Author
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