With so many scary things happening in the world, it’s no wonder that many of our kids are struggling with feelings of fear, sadness, and anxiety. Fortunately, art, like reading, is a meaning-making activity. It can help kids process some of their feelings and begin to make some sense out of them. There a number …

What IS summer slide? Have you heard of the summer slide? I’m not talking about a playground slide, but rather a slide downward that kids tend to make in learning during the summer. It is sometimes called summer brain drain, summer setback, or summer learning loss. These names all refer to the phenomena that many children begin …

why? Will you be gathering with family for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or other holidays? Why not plan an art project that you can all do together? It’s the perfect intergenerational activity. Why? Well first of all, it’s fun! And some of the best conversations happen when people are all working on a project and …

The arts are often mistakenly viewed as electives or nice-to-have additional subjects for kids. However, in the past few years, the research has become crystal clear. Art helps kids’ cognitive development and social emotional learning in a number of ways. Kids who participate in a quality visual arts education tend to perform better in all …

 Art engages children’s senses and supports their development in amazing ways that enhance cognitive, social-emotional and multi-sensory growth & learning but some kids can have extra challenges engaging in art projects. Here are some strategies to help in doing art with your neuro-divergent or non neurotypical child.

All you have to do is search Pinterest for kids art projects and your screen will be immediately flooded with Monet-esq water lilies in tempera paint & Degas ballet dancers made from coffee filters. But do kids learn anything by trying to recreate the appearance of famous art?

at Outside the Box Creation, we believe in focusing on the process rather than just the pretty end product when you do art with your kids. That being said, when they create art that they’re proud of, it’s a great idea to display it!

I often talk and write about why engaging in art making is really great for kids. Art helps them develop their creative problem solving skills, create new synapses in their brains, and enhances their empathy and self-esteem. But why should you do art with your kids?

Art & Gratitude Art + Gratitude = an award winning combo! Thanksgiving is a great time to engage in gratitude activities with kids. Paring art and gratitude is a win-win: Art sets the stage for kids developing the seeds of gratitude, self-confidence and empathy. It also allows them to feel invested in what they’re making …

Have you noticed STEM being promoted to the exclusion, or at least minimization, of the arts? Here at Outside the Box Creation, we believe STEM should have an A in it for art. STEM + Art = STEAM (science, technology, engineering, ART and math).

I often hear from moms that they’d love to do art with their kids but are afraid of the mess! Do you hesitate to do art with your kids because of this? I totally get it! My mom was a clean freak when I was growing up; and I felt that her inability to allow …

Being socially conscious is in our mission! From the very beginning of Outside the Box Creation, I’ve been painfully aware that there were so many kids in the world without parents who can or will purchase our art experiences for them. Our middle son has been acting since he was four years old. He had …