Kip's Creations

Lately, Kip has been really into coloring and crafts and it is so fun to see the progress he has made!

In the past Kip really struggled with perfectionism and getting started with any kind of artistic creation because he felt like he had to be a master at something before even trying. Prior to starting school, he rarely ever wanted to even color, refused to hold a pencil or crayon, could not write his name, hold scissors, peel stickers, and did not know "how" to draw. Often, any kind of art activity resulted in meltdowns. This was really hard to witness as parents because we don't put pressure on him and always encourage any attempt. And yet we found ourselves in a place of not even offering an activity because of the anticipated emotions and refusal. 

Growing up, my mom would always tell us "there are no mistakes in art." We tell Kip that all the time and we even bought books about creating something out of a mistake. We tried our best to help Kip see that creating is about the process and not always the end product.  But we can never make Kip do anything, everything has to be on his terms.

Fortunately, something about school has cracked Kip's code and he is loving coloring and drawing, making random crafts and finally bringing home his creations from school. He loves going to the "purple center" during playtime at school and I am at a point of having to sort things and decide what to keep. Maybe all he needed was to hang around other kids his age attempting the same things as him?

In the last week he has initiated his own projects, asked for others to color with him, gets his own supplies out, and even sat down and handmade his own Valentine's for his classmates. 

He has started calling himself an artist and loves to display his works on his "gallery" in his bedroom. 

At the recent parent-teacher conference, Kip's teacher told us he is making huge progress, and we can see it! His fine motor skills need some strengthening and more practice to help improve how he holds and uses a marker or crayon, but for now we are just encouraging any attempt/effort. The progress has not been without occasional frustration and meltdowns but he has come such a long way!

 

We ordered him a little desk for his room where he can have easy access to paper and supplies. It will be an exercise of trust to see if he can use these supplies appropriately but I'm hoping he finds a lot of inspiration in this little corner.