Help Your Child Think Creatively — One Painting at a Time

A visit to an art exhibition can begin with one picture and a little curiosity. Choose a time when your child is rested, keep the visit short and see what catches their eye.

Let them choose where to stop

Walk together until your child finds something interesting. Look from their height. A tiny animal near the edge of a painting might hold their attention longer than the main subject. Give them time to show you what they’ve found.

Imagine stepping inside

Ask, “If we could step into this picture, what would we hear?” Perhaps waves crashing, a dog barking or footsteps in the snow. Your child might make the sound themselves. Share one of your own and listen to the scene you’ve imagined together.

Follow an unexpected idea

If your child says a painted tree looks like it’s dancing, ask them to show you with their arms. Then look again together. Which way do the branches bend? An imaginative idea can become a reason to notice more.

Take something home in your imagination

Later, put out paper and crayons. “Do you remember that dancing tree?” Your child might draw it, invent a whole forest or show you its movement again.

Try this today

Choose a painting in a book or on a museum’s website. Look at it together and imagine one sound you might hear inside it. Let your child decide what joins in next.