Creativity as a Confidence Booster: Why Making Art Matters for Kids

If you’ve read my blog for a while now, you’ll know that I believe we are all born creative. I think that creativity is dulled by the experiences we have as we grow and the actions of others to dull it (i.e. the school system – not teachers, I might add!).

I don’t really know many children who try something creative and don’t love what they produce. They see it as it was meant to be – their representation of their thoughts. The paint/pencil/pen they used was a vessel for their ideas and whatever it looks like, it’s theirs.

As children grow, they can begin to develop a self-consciousness that can cause them to stop trying if things don’t look how they should, or if someone is critical about their work.

It’s so important, as I have said before, that creativity is embedded in their lives so they have the confidence to develop the skills and therefore not be put off when things go awry. If they can feel that they have a unique perspective on the world, they will have the confidence to continue their journey – because it is just that, a journey. We don’t become skilled overnight.

We all need practice to become skilled!

Children who create art in whatever form need to practise.

They need to explore how to get better at something. Imagine learning to dance – it takes years of dedicated practise. Piano? That too! Both of these are arts, and drawing and painting is just the same. If you have a child who loves art, encourage it in every way possible.

Here's how to help...

• Make a space for them to create.

  
  

• Let them explore materials of any kind (yes, mud really does make good paint!)

  
  

• Find books for them about different artists, old and new.

  
  

• Talk to them about their creations. Make up stories about them. Bring the picture to life!

  
  

• Display them – use a frame that can be changed regularly. Get your child to select a piece every month, say. Place it somewhere that other people can see it and comment. Develop your child’s skills in explaining their artwork to others (a super confidence-builder!).

All of these things will help them to gain confidence in their ability, but also that confidence will seep into other areas of their life:

That discussion about their painting may someday become a discussion about a history project, or even a job interview!

Reading the books, that provide information that can be shared, may one day become the research project for an exam.

Build the skills and the rest will follow!