We’ve always had some really simple rules surrounding art making in our home art space and my girls have been pretty good with respecting where and how they are allowed to use art materials. That’s not to say we haven’t had drawing on the walls – they both gave that one a go! – or secret glitter raids – we still battle that one! – but overall they know what our art rules are and they are pretty good at sticking to them.
Printable Art Room Rules Poster
I believe the key is keeping your expectations realistic and your rules simple, reinforcing them (very) regularly and being really positive overall, so that you keep art making as stress free as possible… for them and you! So I’ve created a printable poster that you might like to print and hang in your home or classroom as a reminder of what your expectations are when your children are being creative and making art.
It is more than likely that you will have more defined rules within the boundaries included in the poster, especially as they relate to specific art materials. We do. We have little sayings like, ‘Paper is for drawing,’ (ie. NOT walls) and ‘We sit down with scissors’ (ie. there is much less chance of them cutting other things they are not meant to if they are sitting at the table!) I say these regularly when my girls are using specific materials or resources, and I believe it is good to have these clear expectations and to remind your children of them.
Remember, the more regularly your children have opportunity to create, the more competent they will become with the art materials and familiar with your expectations for their art making.
Download Instructions: Our Art Space Rules Poster
Click here to download:
Our Art Room Rules Poster. Save the PDF to your computer. Open the PDF to print the pages you require. Please carefully read any printing instructions included within the document.
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Please note: All Childhood 101 printables are for personal use only, you may not use any part of this content for commercial purposes-that includes selling the document, giving it away to promote your business or website, or printing the file to sell. You may not share, loan or redistribute these documents. Teachers may use multiple copies for students in their own classroom.
Looking for more creative ideas? Check out my book, Time to Create: Hands-On Experiences in Process Art for Young Children.
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
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