How Do I Choose the Best Art Projects for Kids?

Choosing the best art projects for kids often means considering their age group and skill level as well as their interests and the environment. For example, messy painting projects aren't a suitable choice for a living room and art activities with many small pieces aren't safe for toddlers. Picking art projects for kids that are fun and tie in with a theme such as the current season can inspire learning as well as creativity.

Keeping children involved in their own art projects as much as possible can help them enjoy being creative. Even a younger child can be asked to choose his or her favorite color to use from several different pots of finger paint. Older children can be given more choice such as whether to make jewelry or pottery for an art project. For first art projects for kids, it's best to choose something fairly simple that can be finished within a reasonable amount of time to keep children from getting bored.

While it's fine for parents to help in kids' art projects, the best crafts are typically ones that children can manage on their own as much as possible with good results. Making gifts can be some of the best art projects for kids, as children can learn the satisfaction of creating something that a relative will appreciate. For instance, a great art project that is simple and can be adjusted for all ages is gluing felt shapes, beads and sequins onto a picture frame to hold a photo of the "artist" for grandparents or other relatives. If needed, the parent can protect the artwork afterward by spraying on a few coats of clear acrylic varnish.

Picking craft materials with which to create a theme is usually quite easy and appreciated by kids. For example, craft foam balls glued together make great snowmen for winter, while colorful scraps of felt can be cut into summer shapes such as a sun, flowers or ice cream cones. Summer weather is also great for having children do messy art projects outside, such as painting. Autumn is a good time to create easy art projects for kids such as pressing and using leaves in crafts such as pictures or greeting cards. Fall art projects may also include gathering materials such as pine cones or acorns to glue onto a wreath.

For parents or caregivers not sure of what kinds of art projects kids would want to do, looking through craft books with children may inspire great ideas. Some art stores also have classes for children to create projects in, while most will at least have a section of kids' project supplies. When choosing art projects with kids, along with the supplies to make them, it's usually best to offer children choices of several craft items rather than letting them pick an armful of products that may put you over budget.