Raising children in an art-rich environment encourages their creativity, imagination, and self-confidence.

The Artful Parent: Simple Ways to Fill Your Family's Life with Art & Creativity gives you the tools and inspiration to provide such an environment for your family. By providing an engaging balance of information and art activities, text and photos, whys and how-tos, The Artful Parent will help you transform your home into a more creative environment, whether you feel creative yourself or not.

The book includes basic information about getting started, stocking up on art supplies, setting up an art space, and talking to children about art. The process-oriented arts and crafts projects included in each chapter are a far cry from the cookie-cutter crafts many of us did in school as kids. They are accessible, developmentally appropriate, enjoyable, and use basic art supplies. Each activity includes easy-to-understand instructions, age guidelines, and variations.

With over sixty activities, the projects are organized by themes that make fitting art projects into a family's lifestyle easier. These themes include quick and easy art; exploring new materials and techniques; action art; quiet art for downtimes and transitions; and art for playdates, parties, and groups.

The activities in The Artful Parent Book include:

Simon Says, Draw!: This activity, an art-based form of the classic Simon Says, is a great intro to art making for the whole family.
Body Tracing and Painting: Get children seeing and thinking about their bodies by doing actual-size paintings.
Shaving Cream Painting on the Window: Let young children revel in the opportunity to sink their hands into piles of shaving cream that they can smoosh around with their hands and fingers.
Contact Paper Suncatchers: Create easy-to-make suncatchers with beautiful results.
Action Painting with Cars: Use the wheels of toy cars to transfer paint to paper—an active way for toddlers and preschoolers to explore art making.
Bubble Prints: A simple form of printmaking that uses colorful bubbles made from food coloring and water.
Swimming Pool Ball Painting: A perfect group art project—roll paint-covered balls around on a large sheet of paper in a kiddie pool.