Wednesday, May 27, 2015

How to start a kids art group

A few years ago, I was feeling frustrated with the after school activity market.
Our budget really didn't allow for me to have my kids in dance/tumbling/gymnastics/piano/whatever.
Luckily, they weren't really interested in any of those things. But I still felt like it was important for them to have some kind of enrichment after school (besides all the fun things we do together, of course!)
Thus was born the idea for a kids art group!


This is the perfect way to keep your kids busy and learning, without spending a ton of money.

The first step to starting your very own kids art group is to find a group of kids and moms that are interested in participating. This group is set up as a co-op, so every household takes turns hosting and providing the project. That means that the more families you involve, the less often each household has to host. BUT (and this is a big but!) if you have too many kids in the group, the quality of the projects you can do goes downhill. We found that 4-6 is the optimal number of kids to involve, but up to 8 is manageable. 

After forming a group, have a meeting to discuss all the logistics. Not only do you need to decided how often and how long to meet (we meet once a week for 45 minutes) but it's important to make sure everyone is on the same page about the projects. In our group, the host chooses what to do and provides everything needed for the project (except smocks). This works for a variety of budgets because when it's your turn to host, you can make the project as involved as you want. Mine have always tended to be on the simpler side and I generally do something based on a technique or famous work of art. I've even included books that go along with the projects we're working on that day (we read "Action Jackson" to go along with this Jackson Pollock inspired project.) Everyone has done something different with their turns.

Our very first art group: splatter painting like Jackson Pollock
Some last words of advice: the most important thing here is for kids to learn and create together. I like to tell my girls that you don't have to be a perfect artist to be an artist and enjoy art. Projects probably won't turn out the way you envision them, and that's ok! Have fun right along with them.

Here's a link to my art board on Pinterest. Have you ever formed a group like this? I'd love to hear about it!


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