Blog
Art Activities for Children of All Abilities
06/14/2011Want to encourage creativity in your student or child? Here are a few suggestions from VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, on how to get started.
Suggested Prompts
- A Dream Vacation: If you could go anywhere in the world (or universe!) on a vacation, where would you go? Who would you bring? How would you spend your time there? Whether it is a deserted island retreat with your family or an outer-space adventure with new friends, use your imagination to create a piece of art that captures a real or imaginary vacation spot.
- Super Me: If you were a superhero, what powers would you have? How would you use your powers? Or imagine yourself in a world where everyone has superpowers. What would that world look like? Share your adventures and powers with us.
- Year 2110: You've just been transported in a time machine to the year 2110. What does the world look like 100 years from now? Be creative and visually describe the landscape of the future.
One way to get started is to create a Visual Art Box for your student. Having materials handy will make it easy to move spontaneously to arts activities. One practical and inexpensive way is to have several boxes for materials. Your boxes could include (but are not limited to) some items suggested below. Many of these items can be found at your local CVS/pharmacy store.
- Crayons
- Fabric
- Markers
- Yarn
- Colored pencil
- Buttons and beads
- Watercolors
- Feathers
- Hair rollers
- Greeting cards
- Newsprint
- Brown paper
- Wrapping paper
- Paste
- Glue sticks
- Children’s scissors
- Hole punch
- Foam paintbrushes
- Ruler
- Stickers
- Gauze
- Pipe cleaners
- Straws
- Cotton balls
- Tissue
- Construction paper
Encourage your student artists to use their imaginations!
Jennifer
Wexler
As director of visual arts at VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, Jennifer Wexler is responsible for providing the overall direction and production of all visual arts exhibitions and activities on the national level. During her seven-year tenure, she has increased the national touring exhibition program from one exhibition per year to five, expanded and upgraded the Artists Registry, and managed the production of three annual exhibition programs: the call for children's art, the emerging artist program, and the annual adult call for art/exhibition. She has ten years of extensive experience in exhibition management and production with a focus on accessibility for people with disabilities. Prior to joining VSA, Wexler served as assistant curator of the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery. She holds a B.A. in art history and French literature from Emory University and an M.A. in museum studies with concentrations in art history and exhibition design from The George Washington University.
