Children come into the world with an innate curiosity. All their senses are on high alert digesting colors, shapes, movements, sounds, tastes, and smells. They recreate the musical rhythms they hear by moving their bodies, clapping their hands, and jumping up and down. They integrate all the colors of the rainbow and the forms of their home, their family members, trees, flowers, the sun, and whatever surrounds them into their original works of art. They act out stories, dress up, and perform.

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The arts are a part of children’s lives right from the start, though they are not aware of it. They only know these artistic past-times are fun. And whether we realize it or not, we have already begun introducing our children to the arts by playing music for them, dancing with them, showing them pictures, encouraging them to create their own masterpieces, and applauding their performances.

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When we decide we want to introduce our children to the arts in a more structured way, we already have a foundation to build on. Here are some suggestions for introducing them to visual art, live music performances, and live theatre.

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Visual Art
One excellent way to introduce children to visual art is by taking them to art classes at an art gallery. Here, they are surrounded by displayed works of art. Walking through some of the galleries before and after the art class gives parents the opportunity to engage their children by asking them what works they like and don’t like and why. It also allows children to ask about the works: who made them, why they made them, and why they are in an art gallery. Children love to be engaged, and this simple interaction makes the adventure more personal for them. Another way to introduce children to visual art, is to share books on art and artists with them that coincide with their age groups. From lift-the-flap and pop-up to those with reproductions and simple explanations of famous art works and artists, books are the perfect tools for this purpose.

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Live Music Performances
As we know, listening to music through a machine and hearing it live are two very different things. Live music performances are enhanced by the excitement from the crowd, hearing the music live, and watching the artist perform the music. Taking children to their first live musical performance is a magical experience. A performance of music familiar to the child is the perfect way to start. As parents, we introduce our children to musical performance through streaming platforms like YouTube, records and CDs, and TV. Before we know it, our children have become experts on The Wiggles, Jack Hartmann, and Raffi and know the words and movements to each of their songs. As familiarity is important to children for enjoyment and engagement, taking them to a performance by a favorite artist will make their first live musical experience incredible. A musical performance of classical music, like The Magic Flute, performed especially for children, is also an excellent way to introduce them to live music.

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Live Theatre
One doesn’t have to live in a big city to have access to live theatre for children. Arts fairs, school productions, theatre camp productions, and special occasion productions by theatre groups all make live theatre available to our children. It is up to us to take advantage of them. These productions are often based on fairy tales, legends, fables, and tall tales, or are holiday-themed, and are magical opportunities for introducing children to live theatre. Once again, the starting point is familiarity, which attracts children’s attention. Also, if the productions include children as cast members, children may see themselves not only in the characters being portrayed, but also as future performers themselves.

Introducing children to the arts is a natural progression from their built-in appreciation of creating their own art, listening to and reacting to music, and their own spontaneous theatrical performances. Keeping it light, fun, and familiar makes the process as organic and easy as telling our children we love them.