Art appreciation – Resources and ideas for children

I always had a keen interest in the arts. My dad is a painter and used to take us to the Museums. When we were on holidays, we had to visit the local Museum and admired the various paintings for hours.

I thought it was boring when I was young but I must have absorbed something because nowadays, I love going to galleries and to the Art Museums.

I really wanted to share art with my children, therefore, I have introduced them to various artists when they were very young. We still foster arts in as many ways as possible now that they are older.

To foster art appreciation and a taste for artistic expression, we have:

• an art area in our living room for everyone to enjoy
• free access to high-quality resources. This has evolved as they grew older.
• Visit to the art museums.
• Drawing classes when it’s possible.
• This amazing online program “ARTventure“. I’m not affiliated, I found it while reading another blog and it’s great for children and adults! We have been using it for a year. 

In addition, I have collected over the years various art appreciation resources:

Books about art:

Mais que fait ce bébé? By Beatrice Fontanel. Find the French version here (available to buy from the UK).

You explore different paintings picturing mother and baby.

Inside the book

Ou est le chat? By Lucy Micklethwait. There is an English version of Spot the Cat.

Highlighting thirteen paintings by artists from contrasting schools and cultures, an amusing gift book challenges cat fans to find the felines in each picture and offers an introduction to art for younger readers.

Museum alphabet, each letter is associated with a piece of Art from the Museum, here it’s about the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston. I found this book in a charity shop. I haven’t visited that museum.

Katie’s collection. I love those books! Award-winning author and illustrator James Mayhew is the creator of the best-selling KATIE and ELLA BELLA books and many other titles and has been writing and illustrating for nearly 30 years. Katie merchandise is now available exclusively at the National Gallery in London.

Degas and the Little Dancer. I like how the story is told to children and the sneak peak in the life of the painter. Here the link.

Games:

My first loto of art. We received that bingo/matching game when my daughter was just over two. There are 4 boards with 6 pictures to match and the corresponding book to learn more about each painting. You can find here, available in French but in the UK.

Colouring book about Monet. Another recent charity shop find!

Usborne Famous painting cards.  Art-lovers everywhere will enjoy this pack of thirty cards, each featuring a well-known painting. Each card features a famous painting with text explaining its themes in a simple and lively way. The reverse side of each card is packed with information such as the story behind the painting, fun facts about the artists and their lives and even explains the artists’ techniques and reveals any hidden meanings behind the picture. It features paintings by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Titian, Van Gogh, Magritte, Warhol, Dali and more.

If my children were younger, I would probably buy a second set to do a matching card activity.

Do you have any other recommendations? Let me know in comment.