Easy Drawing for Kids

Whether you agree with me or not, I am a home school parent. In deciding to go down this road with my kids, I am hip deep in research as to what is best for my kids. I never quite realized how many options are out there. Either religious based or secular, there are literally tons of stuff for kids. From Reading and English to Math and Science, there is plenty to choose from. And this was the easy part, these topics were simple for me to make a decision on what was best.

The difficulty came with teaching Music and Art class. I have absolutely no skills whatsoever in these areas. OK, I am lucky because I can cheat with the music. We have a family member that teaches piano (problem solved) and another friend who plays guitar...this is getting easier. Throw in some actually study of music and this won't be so difficult after all.

The hard part came when I had to teach Art and Drawing For Children. I found many options both online and offline, but there was never anything that I felt comfortable with. Some of this stuff was downright complicated. I had to learn to sketch before I could teach my kids. And if an adult couldn't do this quickly, how hard would it be for my kids?

Most classes and courses I saw touted the idea of how to Learn To Draw online, or were so complicated that I lost interest in even trying to teach it to my kids.

I guess my first question should be, "how can you Learn To Draw online?" I thought drawing required pen and paper. (Or at least something to that effect.) If you Learn To Draw online, isn't that more like graphic design? Maybe I am missing something, but I don't think I am.

My second question was, "is there a course where a kid can learn to sketch without spending a fortune?" Most of the offline courses are kind of pricey, and many are complicated and tedious. (Definitely too complicated for my 10 and 12 year olds.) But I promise if you keep digging, there are courses out there that are free, some that cost a little bit, and some that cost a lot. But the point is, drawing should be on paper with pen, and ink, or even watercolors.

I know computers are here to stay, and graphic computer art has its place (I consider computer drawing to another medium to work with). But what is even more important than working on a computer and using the function tools correctly, is that we provide our kids with the background necessary so they can create anything with their imagination. If we want our kids to learn to sketch and draw, I really think our kids should learn to sketch on paper first...and even throw in some sidewalk chalk too.