Encouraging our children to use their imaginations and get involved in the arts is one of the best ways we can support their overall development.
The arts provide children with the fundamental tools for academic success. Kids gain lifelong skills while exploring their creative side, like critical thinking, sharing, and collaboration. By exploring art making styles and techniques from around the world, we can expand our children’s cultural awareness and personal perspectives.
Being engaged in art making—whether that’s painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, music, dance, or other creative disciplines—can help kids learn how to share their emotions on their own terms. This, in turn, fosters their ability to express themselves to others and builds a strong sense of self-confidence.
Take time to cultivate your child’s passion for the arts with the hands-on projects and crafts, artsy games, and engaging videos below. Then, keep the fun going with Learn Along Bingo sheets full of printable activities and everyday learning ideas for children grades Pre-K to 2!
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Explore the Arts Together
Unleashing Your Child’s Inner Artist
Grades PreK-3
When kids explore their creativity, it leads to lots and lots of fun. But did you know that it can also lead to other important benefits throughout their lives like better academic outcomes and greater emotional health and happiness. Here are some simple, low-cost ways to make art a part of your family’s everyday life.
Nurturing Your Child’s Creative Mind
Grades PreK-3
Ever notice how kids often have more fun playing with an empty box than with what was inside of it? That’s their imagination at work, and we should nurture this creative spirit.
Giving Feedback: Seven Ways to Respond to Your Child’s Creative Work
Grades PreK-3
As parents, we know that our children’s artistic work and expression is an important part of their childhood and teen years. And it matters to young artists just how we respond to them. So how can parents talk with and engage their kids about their creative work? Here are seven suggestions to get you started.
KQED Art School collection
Grades 6-12
Art School is a KQED web video series that introduces contemporary artists who discuss their careers and intentions, then demonstrate hands-on techniques or concepts. Art School provides resources for learning how to break dance, draw comic strips, create animations, and much more. Empower folks of all ages to engage with contemporary art, and discover new ideas for creativity from a variety of professional artists through this fun and engaging series.
Projects, Games & More
Pinkamusical Dance Game
Grades PreK-2
It’s time to dance! In this game from Pinkalicious and Peterrific, learn some new Pinka moves with Pinkalicious or play freeze dance with Peterrific.
Carmen’s World Orchestra
Grades PreK-2
In this game from Let’s Go Luna, Carmen is putting on a concert with instruments from Mexico, India, and Egypt. Players can interact with Carmen, Andy, and Leo to hear their solos or use instrument buttons to contribute to the concert.
Create Your Own Photography Contest
Grades PreK-5
Spend time as a family by creating a photography contest of your own! You can use the photo contest rules as a way to choose a photo for a holiday card, postcard or to convince others to join them on your next trip. You can also create a photobook to keep all of the photo entries to look at together later!
Family Drawing Game
Grades PreK-5
Doodling is making a comeback. It’s easy to see why — it’s fun and there are no rules. Plus, it doesn’t have to be good or fancy to have pretty significant impacts on learning. Here’s a family game that gets everyone doodling and is a great activity while waiting for an appointment, getting your oil changed, or any time the family needs a silly break.
Collecting and Curating Meaning-Filled Objects | Craft in America
Grades 6-12
In this media gallery from Craft in America, learn about artists, art collectors and curators who create, collect and exhibit artworks for a variety of purposes. Using the support materials, students will curate an exhibition of artworks, write a vision statement to explain their curatorial choices, create a two-dimensional exhibition plan, and create object labels. They will learn that people often collect objects that have meaning and tell a story and speculate about why people collect objects.
Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival | Mountain Lake PBS
Grades 9-12
Celebrate creativity and amplify youth voices across our region through film and digital storytelling with the annual Beyond the Peaks Student Film Fest! The film fest offers high school students the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of film-making while crafting short, 5-minute films in a variety of genres. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to share your talent. Submissions are due by April 30th with winners announced at an end-of-school year Red Carpet Showcase in June.
Learn Along Bingo
With Learn Along Bingo, children can view, explore, and play as they learn alongside their PBS KIDS friends on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. We hope your family will use it to inspire learning each and every day.
This time, we’re exploring the arts! Learn about how making and experiencing music and movement helps us express ourselves, alone or with others.
Grades PreK-K
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
Grades 1-2
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
For even more games and educational resources for young learners, go to the Sharing Your Creativity Through the Arts Collection on PBS Kids for Parents.