From Tribune staff:
One of the big benefits of arts and crafts for kids is the tactile/sensory input. So if they don't like paint, Play-Doh or beads, maybe they like building with mud, sand, snow or autumn leaves. Or fondling raw eggs, like one child I know. Or writing in shaving cream. Or seeing how quickly they can dig up the Army guys buried in a bin of dry beans.
WENDY DONAHUE
My youngest used to throw fits because he couldn't draw a symmetrical Christmas tree, until I challenged him to point out a single symmetrical tree. But there's more to creativity than careful craftsmanship. The thing is to focus on something your kids enjoy, and then encourage a little outside-the-box thinking. Working a coloring book? Hey, let's pick one page and make the water yellow, the sun brown and the fish orange. Reading a story? Ask the kid to write you a happy birthday note while pretending to be one of the story's characters. The sheer fun of doing the unexpected might get across the idea that there's no "wrong" way to paint/sing/write/dance.
PHIL VETTEL
From an expert:
"It doesn't matter what they produce, as long as they're enjoying the process," says Carla Sonheim, author of "The Art of Silliness: A Creativity Book for Everyone" (Perigree).
Sonheim has used these tactics for art instruction.
