Parent & Me Painting is a fun-filled class for parents (or grandparents, aunts/uncles, and guardians) to come make and create with their little one. There will be some singing, some stretching, and lots of lovely firsts with crafty fun. These classes are great for children under 3 and/or anyone that has yet to enter daycare or schools. Or if it has been a while since your little one has gone to school, this is a great way to reintroduce the classroom setting with them!
1. Learning how to paint is a great way to help your child grow!
Your little one is going to develop some wonderful fine and gross motor skills by painting with a table easel, holding a paintbrush, sprinkling glitter, and molding fluffy clay. Your child is going to also learn how to problem solve the task in front of them and make creative decisions. Within a month, there are different steps to the painting every week, and very basic art theory to learn so at the end of the course, your child gets to take home a finished large art piece he/she can be proud of. You as the parent are there to encourage your child, and let them be comfortable with making mistakes because in art, happy accidents are bound to happen!
2. Your child will get familiar with classroom settings!
Whether through free drawing time, teacher instruction or just watching how other parents and children behave, your child will pick up new (English) vocabulary, learn important social cues, and begin to understand how to follow directions. There is always a fun and simple routine with our classes from setting up for our painting to the actual process of creating, and then clean-up time.
3. Your child will practice good manners.
Here at LAB, we really value the importance of polite greetings and gratitude. We encourage all to say “Hi!” to each other, and start the class with positive social interactions. We practice asking for more paint or clay with “Please” and “Thank you”. We learn to respect our tools and other classmates around us too. We support one another by cheering on the children as well as parents, because we’re all doing a great job together. During our class, we remind all to be kind and to have fun!
4. Parents will get to get out of the house - yay!
We all need a little balance when it comes to socializing with our own families and friends, especially in this current COVID environment. These classes are a great and safe opportunity to come out and meet people, and potentially meet new parent friends. Or even better, gather your own bubble of friends and schedule a private Parent & Me Painting class with a minimum of 3 kids together (feel free to inquire about private group sessions via email lab.steveston@gmail.com).
5. Making art is a better alternative than playing with the iPad!
Your child may be inadvertently exposed to digital screens too much these days. According to research done by World Health Organization, we need to “[replace] prolonged restrained or sedentary screen time with more active play [for better] child development”. Take the time to come out to one of our safe and small group classes to immerse your child with physical learning, and enjoy creating mini masterpieces together! The hour is going to fly by, and hopefully you and your kid will learn a technique or two when it comes to spending a part of the day without any screen time.
6. You and your child will have awesome memories together!
There are going to be many firsts, even if this is your second or eighth class with us! Your child may amaze you in ways you never thought possible. We’ve had kids surprise their parents with how well he/she can outline a smile, or how much he/she LOVES creating a lovely mess. Also, whether you’re busy with a newborn, or working out a new job, taking this class with your older child is a healthy outlet to enjoy some one-on-one time together. Through enjoying painting and/or clay activities, you and your child will learn how to better communicate with each other, which is always a happy goal at the end of the day!
Check our schedules for Ages <3 here, and hope to see you in our upcoming Parent & Me Painting classes!
Lots of smiles,
Messy Jessy