How to introduce children to different kind of arts and activities

Children have a lot of creativity inside them, and if adequately channelised, you will be amazed to see the way they will shape up in their future. In this 21st century, we are bound to be surrounded by multiple distractions. To stay calm among all of this is a significant achievement in itself for us. But that’s going to be very important because only if we achieve some peace for ourselves, then we can give our children an environment where they can bring out the best in them.

All children are different; some are inclined towards physical activities, some towards artistic activities and some towards intellectual activities.

We must introduce them to different types of activities to test their interest, and once we are aware of what fascinates them, it becomes easy for us to focus on those domains.

Here are a few things which I followed for my children to get them involved in various activities and I hope these help you too to figure out their likes

1. When my child was two years old, I bought acrylic paints, paintbrushes, and a canvas for her. I asked her what colours she wants and kept them ready in her palette and left her with the canvas. Following which she painted few strokes on the canvas. It looked lovely at the end. After that day, I kept repeating this scenario by giving her paper and colours, and the outcome was beautiful. I knew she has in it.

You can get art supplies and start with such experiments, your toddler/Kid may or may not like it, but at the end, you will get to know whether they want to continue on this or not.

2. You can enrol them to swim class to check their interest with swimming. It’s a skill for life and a lifesaver. Your child might be resistant to go to the swim class and can throw tantrums, but be patient. Maintain your calmness and take them for sessions. If you still see their resistance, you can talk to their trainer to understand what’s stopping them from being comfortable with the class and then work on it. If that too doesn’t work, you can try switching your trainer. Every child is different, maybe they will resonate with their new trainer, and they will start liking it.

3. Play mesmerising music at home, so your children know what good music is, what melodies are and what are meaningful lyrics.

You will see that they will start humming those songs soon. And in this way, you will expose them to elegant music and songs. You will slowly figure out what they like, singing, dancing, playing music etc.

4. Make them listen to different instruments and their sounds. You can show a video to them, and this will start creating an interest in musical instruments in them. When your children like a particular sound or specific musical instrument, you can get a toy instrument of their choice. Let them play with it for some time, and eventually, you will find which instrument they want to select and do a course on it.

5. When you are cleaning your house, give them one easy task to do along with you, like wiping, keeping an item in its appropriate place, etc. These examples I am giving you from a two-year-old point of view. You can select age-appropriate tasks for your children and give them those tasks to complete. Cleaning generates a sense of responsibility, and the value of hard work done to keep home clean. Cleaning is a life skill which will stay with them throughout their life and will help them stay away from any mess.

6. When you are organising something at home, always include your kids in that. Kids like to participate in things which their parents do, and they feel honoured when you involve them in tasks or assign them some responsibilities. Seeing you do organising, slowly they will learn the tips and tricks and can become master in this skill. Organising is also a life skill which stays with your child throughout their life. And it’s not limited to home; it helps in

a)Developing focus
b)Following directions and steps
c)Problem-solving
d)Becoming strong in math using concepts of sorting, grouping, shapes and colours.

When you try to introduce your child for different activities, make sure they don’t feel stressed by your expectations. Give them a chance to test their abilities, interest areas without overburdening them about time, cost and efforts going along with it. Allow them to choose what they love to do, and you will see them rise higher and higher!