Why children's art is important

No matter what your age, art is a way to encourage reflection, innovation, and creativity.

When children are encouraged to express themselves through art, they develop a sense of pride in their forays into new creative territory. Yet, when it comes to young children’s creations, it’s easy to dismiss their work as simple arts & crafts projects.

It’s important to be aware of the difference between "arts" and "crafts." Crafts involve children following directions to reproduce an adult’s idea, and often require no original thinking. Crafts are meant to be useful, practical or educational.

Arts, particularly Process Art, allow children to experiment with their own ideas and materials without a preconceived outcome. This type of open-ended creation helps them to:

• Think openly
• Create new meaning
• Be more tolerant of others’ differences
• Have the courage to take creative risks

Out of all my creative projects, curating this gallery of young children experiencing “Here Comes Ingo” and trusting themselves to be co-authors of the book is my very favorite thing to do.

Please feel free to share your child's picture using #herecomesingo. I would love to include them in our ever expanding community of young creatives!