Learning to Look and See
Many parents want to develop creative abilities in their children and teach them to carefully observe the world around them. A great way to achieve these goals is to draw together from life in nature.
To begin, choose an interesting object to draw - it could be a park landscape, ancient buildings, trees, flowers or anything else that will attract your child's attention. Then take paper, pencils or paints and go into nature.
Ask your child to look very carefully at the selected object and try to notice as many details as possible - shadows, outlines, colors. Agree to draw for at least 5 minutes, and then continue, if desired, adding more and more details.
Don't be discouraged if the drawing doesn't turn out perfect. The main thing is to teach the child to concentrately observe and see the world around him. Excessive criticism can only discourage the desire to draw, so praise for the effort, not the result.
These lessons in careful observation, patience, and creativity will benefit not only the young artist, but you as well. Spend this time with your child and you will rediscover the world.