Send Your Grandkids an Art Museum in a Box
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It’s time for another care package idea for your grandchildren. Let’s send them on a virtual trip to the art museum!
Have you ever taken your grandchildren to an art museum? Even babies respond to being in a place with new things to look at, and exposing young children to a wide variety of great art introduces them to the idea of diversity in our world. Plus, between the ages of 2 and 5, creativity explodes. If we nurture it, it is likely to become a life-long characteristic.
Of course, many of us aren’t able to take our grandchildren anywhere because of time or distance. So why not send the art museum to them? That’s what I just did, and it was a big hit. What did it include?
Museum ABC, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a beautiful introduction to both fine art and the alphabet. My grandkids poured over the paintings, and this one will be part of their library for years to come.
If you have older grandkids, you can send The Story of Paintings: A History of Art for Children, another quality book that will be a staple in their home library. It’s a beautiful book and a perfect children’s introduction to art history.
Next time you video chat, ask them to share their favorite pictures from the book!
You’ll want to include a book about making art, of course. Art Making with MoMA: 20 Activities for Kids Inspired by Artists at The Museum of Modern Art is a great one. Although some of the activities are more advanced, most of them can be adapted based on children’s ages. It’s a book that will inspire creativity for many years to come!
Get a copy for yourself, as well, and try doing one of the projects together over Zoom or FaceTime! It’s a great way to connect with your grandchildren when you are apart.
This Faber-Castell watercolor set has everything needed for beginning artists. Make sure to ask your grandchild to send you a painting when they are done!
And since gluing things together is a thrill when you are a small child (and helps with crucial small motor development), look for something with lots of pieces. The ALEX Toys Little Hands My Collage Farm is perfect. You can see my grands working hard on their farm animals in the picture below.
After the serious business of creating, they had such fun playing with the animals they made!
To keep them from ruining their clothes, you’ll want to throw in an art smock for each child. I ordered this two pack. They are easy to put on, wash up well, and come in a variety of colors.
Go put together a virtual field trip to the art museum for your grandkids, then tag me on Instagram or Facebook with a photo of their masterpieces!