One of our jobs as a parent and teacher is “the cultivation of the power to appreciate, to enjoy, whatever is just, true, and beautiful in thought and expression.” - Charlotte Mason.
As our children go through their childhood, their sense of beauty and wonder is being molded by the things around them. The things they are exposed to each day are going to be what cultivates their tastes and sense of beauty.
Pictures. They represent to the eye, what would take much longer to tell to the ear.
Psychologists tell us that sense impressions received through sight are of a higher order than those received through any other sense. We say, “in one ear and out the other.” We do not say, “in one eye and out the other.” It has been said that the human eye can process up to 7 billion bits of information per second. So, neurologically speaking, a picture is not worth a thousand words. It is worth 700,000 words. Pictures are of great value when it comes to teaching our children about the world around them.
If the child’s taste for the good, beautiful and the true, is nurtured and cultivated during their impressionable years, they will have a solid foundation to sense and appreciate the beauty in the world around them. God wrought such beauty into our world and as parents, we strive to feed our children’s imaginations, walk along beside them to develop observation skills, and help them open their eyes and minds to admire what is truly beautiful. But where does one start?
It is as simple as putting your child in the way of beautiful pictures. That’s it! Start with looking at lots of beautiful artworks, taking in all the details and talk about the pictures, no convoluted explanations or in depth analyses needed. The goal is to be as familiar with good artwork as one is familiar with good books. To not only build a library of books, but a library of pictures. Keep it simple during the younger years and let your child absorb the pieces with gentle conversation about the picture, helping them foster a love for art.
As a little girl, I was blessed to have people in my life who helped nurture an appreciation for art. One summer my teacher, seeing my interest in art, took me on a specail trip to an art museum. I remember quietly looking at paintings and wondering why she would take the time to bring me here. Now I think I understand. The art was beautiful and made in impact in itself, but perhaps even more so, was the fact that someone cared enough to make sure I got to have that experience and fanned the spark into a flame.
And somewhere in the midst of my childhood, a picture gallery began to form in the halls of my imagination. There hangs the Mona Lisa, the Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Starry night and many more, in the gallery of my mind. My own little picture library, if you will.
It’s my hope that I can somehow cultivate that sense of beauty in the lives I come in contact with. And that is the vision behind a special little brainchild I affectionately call Picture Libraries, so that you, too, can have the materials at hand to start building your own library of pictures.
For more information on inspiring children's hearts with art, watch this video by Marlene Peterson, founder of Well Educated Heart.