Ben is having fun being creative in my painting class. I love working with kids, since they are excited to try new things and they inspire you to play. That's what we need as adults to let our inner child out and play more.
Painting classes in Los Angeles are very beneficial for children. Appreciating works of art is as important as encouraging your child to take up art. Regardless of whether your child is a budding artist, or merely likes to look at pictures, a trip to the local art gallery will help to get the creative juices flowing. Children, at different ages, are found to appreciate different aspects of art. While a younger child will appreciate shapes and color, older children will focus more on how realistic the painting is. It is only after a considerable amount of study in art that a child will understand symbolism and style.
Today there are art books that have been specifically written for children, aiming to generate an interest in learning about some of the world's great painters and their masterpieces. An older child can be encouraged to tell stories using their pictures or even try their hand at drawing a comic strip. If your child has a natural talent for art, try to enroll him in as many art activities as possible. These might range from art classes to summer art courses. The important point is that you nurture your child's talent without forcing him, because that might cause him to burn out,and he may start hating anything connected with art.
Some schools have specialized art therapy programs. If you are lucky enough to live in a community with such a program, it could be used as an additional resource in the development of your child. Most programs are in bigger cities like LA because they tend to have a broader understanding of psychotherapy and the arts. A qualified art therapist should have graduated from an accredited program, which can be verified through the American Art Therapy Association, a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of art as a therapeutic practice. It is not recommend trying to use art therapy without a professional if your child is suffering from some form of severe trauma; however, if your child is coping with the normal pitfalls of childhood, it would be very suitable to use art to help him or her address feelings. Children don't have to be artists to benefit from art therapy; they just have to be human.
Professionals use art therapy with children, adults and teens, individuals and groups. It is employed regardless of age or gender. Combining the areas of human development, visual arts such as painting, drawing and sculpture, and the creative process with the various models of counseling and psychotherapy, art therapy assesses and treats the following mental problems and disorders: anxiety, depression, mental illness, substance abuse and other addictions. Art therapists address family and relationship issues, abuse and domestic violence and social and emotional difficulties related to disability and illness.
Ben did a great job drawing these lovely antique candle sticks.
Painting classes in Los Angeles can really help your kids. Art therapy is applicable in situations of trauma and loss, physical, cognitive, and neurological problems and psychosocial difficulties related to medical illness. Children may be more apt to express traumatic events through art when they cannot or will not do so through the use of words. Often traumatic events that have been buried deep in the subconscious will surface through the art. Once the emotions have been released. healing can then begin to take place.
