Kids as young as two years old are able to appreciate art. Last night, I got another proof that toddlers can be moved by art the same way that we do.

My husband hung a small painting from an established local artist on a wall of my toddler’s bedroom while I read the bedtime stories to our child in the living room. The painting captured right away our toddler’s attention. My child had a true awe moment. The first thing my toddler did was to sat in front of it to admire it further. I am so glad that I resisted the temptation when I was pregnant to buy generic baby art. At the time, I had the feeling that our baby would outgrow his nursery quickly. I was right!

Kids are more able to appreciate art than some people imagine. Why should we restrain children to drawings for children? Yes, we need to read them children books but we can also show them actual art pieces. We often visit museums and art exhibits with our young child. Some days it’s a fun activity, some days, a little less. Nonetheless, seeing masterpieces helps our child develop an eye for art and design. Looking at the art pieces is an occasion to have a conversation with our child. We can introduce notions about colours, forms, styles, history, culture, and new ideas. Plus, we don’t have to be afraid to ask young children want they think about art pieces. I enjoy discovering what grabs our child’s attention and looking for patterns.

I also share my love for modern architecture. I discussed it last March (and later republished here). My teaching about good taste and design goes as far as avoiding tacky toys, books and accessories. Luckily for us, there are many alternatives these days — I used to talk about them. The important point for parents to know is that my approach seems to be working. My toddler said Wow! at the sight of a beautiful modern style house on HGTV the other day. You can bet that this comment put a smile on my face.

Do you bring your young kids to the museums, other than kids’ museums or when they are sleeping?